I Have to Know
by TRUSSELL33
Summary: Booth wakes from his coma determined to make his dreams a reality. This is my take on how that will play out. Fluff and smut galore.
1. Chapter 1

**This story picks up where the season finale left off.**

**Disclaimer: Alas, they are not mine, but they wish they were.**

"Who are you?" asked the man in the hospital bed with a half-smile.

"What?" gasped Temperance Brennan, head jerking back as if she had been physically struck. "What do you mean? Booth, do you know who I am?" she whispered with such horror in her voice that Booth couldn't answer for a moment.

He simply gazed at the incredibly beautiful woman sitting on his hospital bed holding his hand whose face had been filled with joy and something he couldn't quite identify when he opened his eyes. "I'm not sure," he said quietly, reaching out to grasp the hand she had snatched back at his words. He felt better when she was holding his hand, but she jumped off the bed and backed away wrapping her arms around her waist as if comforting herself, never taking her eyes off his face.

"I need to let the doctor know that you're awake," she said gesturing toward the door, voice shaking despite her best efforts. Her only thought was _I have to get out of here before I lose it._

"Wait!" Booth called urgently and she halted instantly.

Booth's head was fuzzy, his thoughts fragmented and disjointed. He seemed to have many memories of this woman but the memories were so different they could not all be true and he was currently unable to distinguish between them. Even with all that confusion, he did know four things without a doubt. 1)He had hurt this woman with his question and it made his own heart ache when he saw the pain, loss and panic in her eyes. 2)This woman was important to him in a change your life, thank you, God for sending he to me kind of way. 3)He had to fix this. He had to take away the pain and sadness and make her smile at him again. 4)He had to keep her here to fix it. He could _not_ let her leave in the state she was currently in. He had no idea how he knew these things, but his gut said _trust me_. So he did.

"Booth, are you ok? I need to get the doctor," she said somewhat sharply, gesturing toward the door again. She looked ready to bolt out the door and not stop anytime soon.

Following his instincts, he agreed. "OK, get the doctor." His next words halted her mid-step. "Please don't leave. Promise me you will stay where I can see you," he pleaded.

Desperate to escape the room, she nodded jerkily. "I'll be in the hallway. I promise I won't leave."

Luckily, Booth's doctor was easy to locate and was all too eager to examine his patient now that he was finally awake. Brennan leaned against the wall outside Booth's room and just_ felt_, for one of the few times in her life. She had been ecstatically happy and relieved when Booth appeared to be coming out of his four day anesthesia induced coma following his brain surgery. She had expected him to regain consciousness and be confused at first. She had expected questions like _Where am I_ and _What happened_. It had never crossed her mind that the first question out of his mouth could destroy her entire world.

As a bestselling author, Brennan knew the power of the written word. She had learned in childhood, especially during her time in foster care, that the spoken word could often be cruel and cause some degree of emotional distress. But, she had never imagined the kind of pain those three little words caused her. Her chest physically hurt. She knew it was a physical impossibility for her heart to simply shatter inside her chest, but that is exactly what it felt like. She was nauseated and her brain was racing a million miles a minute. The only clear thought she could pick out was that Booth was such an integral part of her life _of her_ that she didn't think she could function without him in it. Not and be the person he had helped her to become. The person that she wanted to be.

At that thought, she stiffened. What kind of person was she? What kind of friend to be so focused on how she felt and how this would affect her that she hadn't even thought about how confused and scared that Booth must be feeling. Disgusted with herself, she glanced up to find Booth's unwavering gaze locked on her. He was speaking to the doctor but his eyes never left her. If one of the nurses interrupted his line of sight, he simply shifted position until he could clearly see her again.

Oddly enough, seeing the way he was looking at her calmed her down. As she was neither blind nor stupid, she knew that Booth looked at her a lot. Granted, he did not usually do it so openly, but he did do it and it was a familiar feeling. As she gazed into his eyes across the room, she saw warmth, caring and need. Mostly she just saw Booth and she realized that even if he did not know exactly who she was right now, he seemed to sense that they had a special relationship and he needed her right now as much as she had ever needed him.

This feeling of familiarity stiffened her spine and gave her the courage to step back into that room, stand beside her best friend and face whatever fate had sent their way. They would get through this the way they always did. Together.


	2. Chapter 2

Brennan tried to take a step toward the hospital room and found herself physically unable to make her feet move. She had never experienced this before, but apparently deciding to do something did not always translate to actually doing it. Reluctantly breaking eye contact with Booth, Brennan glanced down at her hands and was surprised to find that they were shaking.

She had spent the last four days sitting in a chair beside Booth's bed telling herself that he was going to wake up soon, give her a charm smile and everything would be fine, never once allowing herself to think otherwise. Well, he had woken up and he had sort of smiled at her. And now here she stood, Dr. Temperence Brennan, defender of all things true, almost paralyzed with fear of the truth. The truth, of course, being that everything was _not_ OK and might never be again. Starting to feel even more panicked, she forced herself to take several slow deep breaths, trying to calm herself and to think logically. Her logical, rational self told her that she needed to gather more information to adequately assess the situation. She needed to talk to the doctor and Booth and find exactly what was happening before panicking. Glancing up, she once again found Booth's eyes locked on her. Feeling herself calming down just from this little contact, she took a few deep breaths, pushed away from the wall and quietly stepped into the hospital room.

As soon as she entered the room, the doctor, who was still speaking, faded into the background and it was just the two of them communicating with their silent language. Booth extended his hand toward her in a gesture that clearly said _Come to me_. When Brennan hesitated, he smiled gently at her and said softly, "Bren..Bones, are you OK?"

Hearing his nickname for her made her knees go weak with relief. _He does remember_ _me_. She moved shakily across the room and placed her hand in his outstretched one. He felt her trembling and gently tugged her forward until she was sitting on the bed beside him.

"Hey," he said softly, rubbing his hands up and down her arms, "You're shaking all over. Are you OK?" Her head was turned slightly away from him with her gaze focused on the floor. She knew that if she looked at him right now she was going to cry and in true Brennan fashion was trying to avoid an emotional display. She resisted at first when he cupped her jaw with his hand and tried to turn her face toward him. "Bones, look at me," he demanded.

When she raised her head and met his eyes, he saw two tears slowly making tracks down her cheeks and her eyes were awash with buckets more. He could do nothing less than pull her to his chest and wrap his arms around her as if he would never let her go. To his surprise, she placed her hands on his chest and used them as leverage to push slightly away from him, delivered a stinging slap to his shoulder then threw herself back into his arms, sobbing.

"What the hell, Bones?" Booth asked in confusion.

"You scared the crap out of me, Booth. Don't ever do that again." she mumbled still sobbing against his shoulder.

"Oh, Baby, please don't cry. I'm here. Everything will be OK," he murmured soothingly while rubbing circles on her back with one hand and stroking the hair back from her face with the other. Neither of them caught his slip of the tongue calling her baby. Brennan was listening to his soothing tone more than the actual words. Booth's dream world was still so vividly real to him that, in his mind, he had every right to call his wife baby. Brennan's tears slowed, then stopped and they simply sat there and held each other with Booth placing kisses on her hair and whispering soft, soothing words meant only for her ears.

"Ahem." The sound of the forgotten doctor clearing his throat jerked them apart. Booth gave him an impish grin and a "Sorry, forgot you were here." Brennan simply looked at him until he started to feel uncomfortable and rushed into speech. "OK, Mr. Booth, Do you have any questions?"

"Agent Booth." Booth and Brennen corrected simultaneously.

"I don't understand, Booth. When you woke up, you didn't seem to know who I was but now you do?" She questioned. Her attention was focused solely on Booth, once again ignoring the doctor. "I thought you had forgotten me." She whispered in such a lost little girl voice that left Booth in no doubt of how much thinking that had devastated her.

"I could never forget you, Bones. I just had some dreams that seemed so real that everything kind of got jumbled up in my head," he said again tucking an errant strand of hair behind her ear. He couldn't seem to stop touching her. He needed that physical contact to reassure himself that she was here and that this was real and not just another dream. Brennan was reveling in being touched by Booth, leaning into every caress. She needed the physical contact as an affirmation of reality just as badly as he did. Without even realizing it, she had shifted on the bed and was now leaning back against Booth with her back resting against his chest and his arms around her waist, hands resting on her stomach.

Refocusing her attention on the doctor, Brennan fired questions at him. "Is that normal? Does this mean that something went wrong? Will Booth be OK? Why did he think his dreams were real?"

Sighing, the doctor pulled a chair over and sat down. This might take a while. "Dr. Brennan, while we know a great deal about the brain, there is a great deal more that we can only speculate about. I can say with the utmost certainty that we removed the entire tumor from Agent Booth's brain and that he did not suffer any complications from the surgery itself. That being said, removing anything from the brain is a highly invasive procedure and probably caused some mild swelling in his brain. Add to that his unexpected reaction to the anesthesia and there are just too many unknown variables for me to give you a concrete answer about why his brain interpreted his dreams as memories. On this point, I can only speculate."

"You mean guess?" Brennan broke in appalled.

"That is exactly what I mean," the doctor answered cheerfully, "and I prefer not to do that." Brennan nodded her understanding and motioned for him to continue. "I certainly consider the surgery a complete success and expect Agent Booth to make a full and swift recovery. I also have a feeling that when you return to your normal routine that things will fall into place and you will be more able to separate your dreams from your memories."

"When can I go home? When can I go back to work?" questioned Booth.

"I think you'll be with us a couple more days. The typical recovery time for this surgery is six weeks to three months," he held up his hand to stall the protests spilling out of Booth's mouth. "With the way things look right now, I really don't think you will need the entire six weeks, but we will just have to see how things go." At the door, he swung around and added, "Dr. Brennan, visiting hours are over. You really should go home and get some rest."

"I'm staying," barked Brennan.

"She stays," snapped Booth with finality. "Why don't you just go ahead and write that down in your little file so the nurses don't have to call you in the middle of the night when they try to make her leave?" he finished with a grin.

"Sure thing," said the doctor with a smile. He left the room whistling. All four night nurses had bet him $50 each that the beautiful Dr. Brennan would leave the handsome agent at night when he woke up. He thought that was wishful thinking on the part of the nurses to have some alone time with Agent Booth. _Like that was going to happen_ he snorted to himself. From what he had just witnessed, he didn't think that they would ever be apart again if either of them could help it.

After the doctor's departure, Brennan began to feel a little awkward at the almost full body contact with Booth. She tried to gently extricate herself from his embrace. When that didn't work, she tried to pull away more forcefully only to hear him groan. Instantly, she turned to him in concern. "Oh, Booth, did I hurt you? I'm so sorry," she soothed, gently running her hand across his forehead and cheek and into the hair at the nape of his neck making him shudder. Thinking she was hurting him, she redoubled her efforts to leave his arms.

Booth tightened his arms and groaned again when she continued to squirm. "Bones, I am begging you, stop squirming." She was still instantly. "Now I know you have a million questions and I promise I will answer all of them. Tomorrow. Right now, my head hurts and the medicine they gave me makes me sleepy. So let's go to sleep." He sighed and closed his eyes.

Three seconds later, she poked him in the arm and whispered, "Booth?"

With a long suffering sigh, he opened his eyes and looked down at this woman who was his everything and whispered back, "What?"

"I need to get up. I sleep over there," she said pointing to a chair. "It pulls out into a bed and I need to put my pajamas on."

"Have you been here ever since my surgery?" he asked with surprise.

"Where else would I be?" she answered simply.

Booth was absolutely blown away by the fact that she cared for him deeply enough to abandon her job just to sit and be with him during the four days he was in a coma. He gently tipped up her chin and looked deeply into her cerulean eyes, "You and I," he said quietly "are going to have a very long talk about a lot of things tomorrow. But for now, go put on your pajamas and let's get some sleep." With a kiss to her forehead, he allowed her to leave his arms and they immediately felt empty. He wanted, no he _needed_ her to sleep in his arms tonight and with a wicked grin, he started plotting how to make that happen. Ten minutes later when she left the bathroom and made for the sleeper chair, he was ready.

"Bones," he whispered, "I think I need a hug before I can go to sleep."

"OK," she responded approaching the bed. During her absence, he had put the bed down flat and moved so far from the side of the bed that she was approaching that she had to crawl up on the bed to get to him. She put her arms around him and held on tight, practically laying on top of him especially when his arms came around her returning the embrace. Several minutes later, she started to pull back from the hug. He tightened his hold and whispered, "Stay. Please." And suddenly all was right with his world as she whispered, "OK" and wiggled around until she was lying beside him with her head on his shoulder and her hand resting on his chest directly above his heart, her fingers entwined with his. If he thought she was going to fight spending the night in his arms, he was very much mistaken. She was exhausted from the worry of the past days and right now, in his arms, she felt calmer and safer than she had since they had been told of the brain tumor. She could feel herself already slipping into slumber.

"Goodnight, Booth," she said around a yawn.

"Goodnight, Baby," he returned. When he was certain she was asleep, he leaned down and brushed a soft kiss across her lips whispering, "I love you, Temperence Brennan." He pulled her against him more tightly and closed his eyes. Minutes later his breathing had evened out and he was softly snoring. Brennan opened her eyes and just looked at his sleeping profile. She raised her hand from his chest to softly caress his cheek and whispered, "I love you, too, Seeley Booth." Replacing her hand on his chest, she closed her eyes. Minutes later, they were both out for the night.


	3. Chapter 3

Booth was at the Lab celebrating his wife's pregnancy with his dream family and friends. On some level, he understood that none of this was real. That even though the people were real, the situation was not. Knowing that did nothing to stem the feelings that flooded him as Brennan walked over, slipped her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a deep open-mouthed kiss.

"Are you happy, Daddy?" she asked, placing his hand on her still flat tummy.

"God, yes! All I want is to be with you like this," he answered, slipping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer. And he _was_ happy, happier than he ever thought he could be. Just knowing that Brennan loved him and that they were building a life together gave him such a sense of contentment, _of peace_, that he was even well on his way to coming to terms with his past. With Brennan by his side, he had begun to accept that everything he had done as a sniper had helped bring him here, _to her_, and for that he would go through anything. Whether he called her Bones or Bren, he loved this woman with every fiber of his being. He needed her in his life like this, his partner in every sense of the word and knew he would do whatever it took to keep her in his life.

He gazed around at their motley assortment of employees and felt affection for them. They might be misfits in most other situations, but here they formed a strong family unit with him and Brennan as the center. And the center_ would_ hold, _always_.

Booth was jerked rudely from sleep by a nurse pumping a blood pressure cuff up on his arm. He was momentarily disoriented until he felt Brennan pressed against him. Sometime during the night, they had both turned on their sides. her back was pressed against his chest and her bottom snuggled tightly against his groin with the expected results. He chuckled silently, now knowing that he couldn't be that bad off physically if simply snuggling with Brennan turned him on that much. Finished with his vital signs, the nurse left Booth alone with his thoughts.

Booth put his arm around Brennan's waist and just reveled in the feeling of her sleeping in his arms. He had been in love with this woman so long that it was hard to remember a time when he didn't love her. He had been in lust with her from their first meeting. He could read her like an open book and he certainly had not missed how much more emotionally open she had become to him over the past year. She had also become much more physically demonstrative touching him frequently, even kissing him on the cheek fairly regularly. Booth was now ashamed to admit, even to himself, that as she got more open, he had backed off. He knew that this had confused her. Heck, it had confused him. He kept telling himself that she wasn't ready to take their relationship to a more intimate level. He was now beginning to realize_ he_ had been afraid. He _had_ to have her in his life and had avoided doing anything that could hurt their partnership and friendship and potentially drive her out of his life.

He had thought they had all the time in the world until he started carrying on conversations with ghosts and cartoon characters. Now he knew differently. When they were told about the brain tumor, Brennan was beside him, their hands clasped tightly, giving comfort to each other. He had known in that instant that she was the only person he wanted to be by his side for the rest of his life. Yes, he already knew that he loved her and wanted a life with her but this illness made him realize that he wanted it _now_, that 50 years together would never be enough and it was just plain stupid to waste any more time. When he was on his way to surgery and demanded that they stop to tell her to have his baby if he didn't make it, he had really been saying, "I love you, Bones, and I will do everything in my power to keep you safe and make you happy." He hoped she had gotten the message behind the words, but with Brennan you never could tell. They would talk things out in the morning and he was filled with the certainty that it would all work out. Placing a soft kiss on her hair, he settled down to go back to sleep. Drifting off, his hand automatically tunneled under her pajama top to rest against the soft, warm skin of her stomach. It felt so natural and familiar that he didn't even realize he had done it.

Brennan awoke at a clatter from the hallway. She felt safe and warm and immediately knew where she was. Her back was pressed so tightly to Booth's chest that she could feel more than hear his soft, even breathing as he slept on. Wiggling around so she could read her watch, she saw that it was 4:30am. With a sigh, she relaxed back against him and just savored the closeness. She felt safe and secure in a way that she hadn't experienced since she was 15 years old. She knew that she needed to get up before they were discovered by someone other than the hospital staff but she couldn't find the will to make herself move. The truth was that she didn't particularly care if someone saw them. She liked being in his arms. The most basic truth was that in his arms, she felt loved. Placing her hand over the one resting on her bare stomach, she closed her eyes and went back to sleep.

Three hours later, she roused to find her head resting on his bicep. They were still both on their sides only they were now facing each other. She glanced up to find his warm, brown eyes focused on her. Meeting her eyes, he said softly, "Good Morning, Beautiful," and raised his hand to gently caress her cheek.

"Good morning," she replied, blushing at his intense scrutiny.

_I didn't think anything could make Bones blush_, he thought with amusement. Being a gentleman, he, of course, didn't comment. He had just been gazing at her, taking in her beauty until his gaze focused on her mouth. She was warm and tousled from sleep and it felt like it was his right to lean down and gently brush a kiss across her soft lips. He pulled back slowly and looked into her eyes. He could have sagged with relief when he saw not anger but acceptance and desire. Leaning his forehead against hers, he whispered, "I have to know."

"Know what?" asked Brennan in confusion.

"This," he answered, his lips descending on hers. He took her bottom lip between his teeth and tugged gently. A soft gasp escaped them both as Booth released her lip and slipped his tongue into her mouth. As soon as their lips made full contact, the kiss exploded. It became hot, hard and hungry, lips meeting again and again, tongues tangling. They broke away from each other only when the need for oxygen became paramount, then dived right back in.

Booth pushed Brennan onto her back and came up on his elbow. He tangled one hand in her auburn tresses and lifted her head slightly bringing her lips to his. He had known that kissing her, _really _kissing her, would be good after the mistletoe kiss, but _this_, God, he hadn't know that kissing anyone could be this good. And her enthusiastic response only made it better. He could honestly say that just kissing Bones was better than most sexual encounters he had had in the past.

Brennan slid her arms around Booth's neck and pulled him closer. He was gently nipping at her lips then soothing them with his tongue, pulling a moan from her throat. Her entire body throbbed with arousal and she just wanted to go on kissing him forever. She moaned again as his hand slipped under her top, caressing her flat abdomen and worked its way up. It was his turn to moan when he found her braless. Her hands were under his shirt, lightly scratching across his rock hard abs up to his well developed chest, causing every muscle in his body to clench and scream, more. Brennan vaguely knew that they were getting carried away and there was a reason they shouldn't, but she couldn't grasp a coherent thought long enough to figure out why.

Booth was sure he had never been so turned on in his life. He broke away from Brennan's lips to lay a trail of kisses across her jaw to her ear. When he gently bit down on her earlobe, she whimpered and her body involuntarily arched against him shattering what little control he had been maintaining. He began to kiss and suck his way down her throat, his hands busy unbuttoning her shirt. With only the button between her breasts still fastened, a loud page across the PA system broke through the sensual fog long enough for Brennan to remember where they were and she realized they had to stop _now_. Placing her hand over Booth's just as he was about to release that last button, she said urgently, "Booth, we have to stop."

Booth heard her speak but the words didn't actually register. His brain was somewhat oxygen deprived at the moment. He continued to kiss his way down her neck toward her chest. His attention was so focused on that last button, he didn't hear her the second time she spoke. Deciding drastic measures were called for, Brennan placed her hands on his face and forced his head back to meet her eyes. He actually growled when she pulled him away from her throat, startling a giggle out of her. Then she met his eyes and the heat she saw there took her breath away. Before he could initiate another kiss and distract her, she rested her forehead against his and whispered, "We have to stop. We can't do this right now."

"Why?" he whined, leaning in to kiss her again.

She pushed him back again and said sharply, "Booth, stop it! Look around. We're in a hospital bed in a room with glass walls where anybody could see."

Booth flopped onto his back with a groan, on arm thrown across his eyes while Brennan hastily rebuttoned her top. "So, did you find out whatever it was you needed to know?" she asked impishly.

Laughing, he rolled onto his side and grinned at her. "Oh, yeah," then "Damn, Baby, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for things to get that out of control." He was again gently caressing her face and gazing into her eyes. He was glad that she had stopped him when she did. Even though his fingers actually itched to reach over and undo ALL those buttons, spread that shirt apart and take a long look at her beautiful body, he knew that now was not the time or place. Reaching up, she gave him a quick kiss and slid out of bed when he tried to deepen it.

"Are you going to work?"

"No. I just need to get dressed before you start having visitors and we have to start explaining why I'm in my pajamas. I told Cam I wouldn't be in the office at all while you were in the hospital and on a limited basis indefinitely, at least until you were OK."

"Bones, I am stunned that you would blow off work like that to sit around and keep me company."

"Why are you stunned, Booth? Isn't that what people do for someone they care about?" she asked, honestly puzzled.

"Yeah, Bones, that is what people do," he replied with a soft smile. This woman amazed him. Just when he thought he knew everything about her, she threw him for a loop.

Grabbing her overnight bag, she headed for the bathroom, putting a little extra sway in her hips just to torment him. At the bathroom door, she swung around and saw that his eyes had, indeed, been glued to her rear. "Oh, Booth?" she cooed. His eyes flew up to meet hers and he grinned sheepishly, "What?"

"Don't call me Baby." She blew him a kiss, threw him a wink and disappeared into the bathroom.

"Don't worry, Baby, you'll get used to it," he called out and heard her snort in disagreement. With a laugh, he leaned back and smiled at the ceiling. Despite the trials of his recent past, it was good to be Seeley Booth.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks everyone for taking the time to read and review. **

**Disclaimer: No, they're not mine, but they would have a lot more fun if they were.**

After a breakfast of hospital food that Booth had eaten but griped about until Brennan promised him lunch from the diner (with pie), they settled in for the day. Booth watching TV and Brennan working on her laptop.

"Booth?"

"Hmm?" He was almost asleep.

"Are you going to tell me about your coma dream?" This jerked him fully awake. He glanced up to find her regarding him curiously. He had been expecting her to ask. This was Bones, after all, she was curious about everything. But he had to admit, he was a little nervous about her reaction. _How much to tell her?_ he debated with himself. He was a little concerned that she would use that big brain of hers and analyze his dream to death, in the process finding a way to talk herself out of their fledgling relationship. Then he realized that was _his_ fear rearing it ugly head. She had given no indication that she wasn't as fully committed to whatever they were working toward as he was. She certainly hadn't run. He owed her nothing less than the truth.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." She sounded hurt.

"I'll tell you anything you want to know, Bones. But come sit over here." He patted the bed and gave her a charm smile.

After she had settled herself on the bed, he took her hand and began. "You and I owned a nightclub named the Lab. Most of the squint squad worked for us in some capacity. Jared and Cam were cops. Even your dad was there," he paused at the questioning look on her face, eyebrow arching.

"I don't understand." The words brought a smile to his lips.

"What don't you understand?" Still smiling, he linked their fingers and pulled her around until her head was resting on his shoulder.

"When you woke up, you didn't know what our relationship was, but in your dream as well as in real life we were partners, so I guess I don't understand the confusion." She looked up at him, brow furrowed. Ah, sometimes he forgot how literal she was. _No time_ _like the present_ he thought as he sent up a prayer that she would not freak out about what he was about to tell her.

Giving her a sexy smile, he gently ran his finger along her lips. "In my dream, Bones, you weren't just my partner." Their foreheads were touching now. "You" a whisper soft kiss brushed across her lips "were my" another kiss lasting just a little longer "wife." Lips met and held. He half-expected her to pull away and give him a lecture on marriage being an antiquated ritual, but she didn't. She stiffened for a fraction of a second then relaxed into him, sliding her arms around his neck and her tongue in his mouth. Neither knew how much time had passed when a throat clearing across the room made them pull guiltily apart.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It wasn't even noon and Booth was bored. After a nurse had interrupted him and Brennan earlier, she had immediately left the bed and since refused to even sit on it. No matter how many charm smiles he threw her way, she just laughed and said she didn't trust him to keep his hands or his lips to himself. He, of course, acted offended but had to smile inwardly. His Bones knew him well.

She had spent more than two hours asking him for details about his "coma dream" as she referred to it, even dragging out her computer and taking notes. She had then moved onto answering Emails. She was by no means ignoring him. If he spoke, her attention was instantly on him. He frequently looked up to find her watching him. If he mentioned being hungry or thirsty, she brought him food or drink. But he was not used to just lying around with absolutely nothing to do and he was bored. Day time television sucked beyond belief he decided after flipping through the channels for at least the thousandth time.

He heard the door to his room open and looked up to see Angela and Hodgins come in together. He wasn't sure he'd ever before been that glad to see any of the squints. Except Bones, of course. "Angela, Hodgins, good to see you guys," Booth greeted with a smile. Angela leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Hodgins gave him a firm handshake.

"Hey, Studly. It's nice to see those big brown eyes again," Angela joked. They had all been terrified for the four days Booth had been in a coma. As much for Brennan's well-being as Booths. Angela walked over to Brennan and gave her a warm hug. "Thank God. You must have slept last night. You don't look like death warmed over anymore," Angela said with a smile.

"Thanks, Ange." Brennan returned drily. "And yes I slept very well last night."

"Did you finally go home?" Angela asked absently.

"No. It was very late when Booth woke up and he wanted me to stay." Angela's head jerked around and she regarded Brennan closely.

"So, you still haven't left the hospital? In six days?" she was looking speculatively between Booth and Brennan now.

"No. Angela, if it will make you feel better, I will leave the hospital today," Brennan said with a laugh. She hoped she was the only one who noticed Booth stiffen and send her a slightly panicked look at her words. She gave him a reassuring smile and he relaxed.

Booth and Hodgins had been discussing trivial things until Booth noticed the bag in Hodgins' hands with the logo of the best comic book store in DC. "What have you got there, Hodgins?" he asked.

With a smile, Hodgins handed over the bag. Booth looked inside and found at least 30 "graphic novels". All in the series that he followed and all new issues. He didn't have any of them. Stunned, he looked at Hodgins. "Thanks, man. These are great," Booth said happily.

"As much as I would like to take credit, it was all Dr. B. She called the store and placed the order. I just picked them up," shrugged Hodgins, grinning at Booth's enthusiasm.

Booth's eyes flew up to meet Brennans. He gave her a beautiful smile. "Thanks, Ba.." catching the almost slip and clearing his throat, he began again. "Thanks, Bones. How did you know which ones to get?" He was genuinely curious.

"Like any good scientist, I did my research." The answer was pure Bones. But the look on her face was filled with mischief and she looked entirely too pleased with herself. Booth asked suspiciously, "What kind of research?"

"I asked Parker," she smiled broadly. She was so proud of herself that the other three burst out laughing. Angela and Hodgins stayed another hour chatting amiably and then left saying they would be back tonight.

Booth's doctor walked in the door seconds later. He had been in emergency surgery all morning and had just been fully briefed by the flustered nurse who had walked in on them earlier.

"Good afternoon, Agent Booth, Dr. Brennan."

"Good afternoon," responded Brennan.

"Hi. Can I go home," from Booth.

"Well, Agent Booth," the doctor said after a quick exam, "Everything looks good. But I'm going to have to say no to home, for today. I want to get another MRI in the morning, just to be safe and if everything still looks good, I think you can go then."

"Great," said Booth with a big smile.

Instead of leaving the room, the doctor stood there looking a little uncomfortable, rubbing his earlobe with his fingertips, "Uh, Agent Booth, I'm going to have to recommend that you _abstain_ from any rigorous physical activity at least until your follow up appointment with me in one week." By now, his neck and face were flushed a bright red.

Booth just looked at him in confusion. "I don't know what that means."

Noting the doctor's heightened color and his specific phrasing, Brennan quickly put it together. "I think he means sexual intercourse," she said helpfully, patting Booth's hand.

"What?" squeaked Booth. Now his face was turning red.

"Isn't that what you meant?" Brennan quizzed the doctor in her direct way. The doctor only nodded in response, turning, if possible, even redder. Turning back to Booth, Brennan observed, "I think that nurse moused us out."

"Ratted, Bones, not moused." The doctor waited to see if there were any more questions, but he had already been dismissed. "Bones, you embarrassed the doctor by asking about s-e-x," Booth whispered loudly. The doctor walked away from Booth's room chuckling. He didn't know where Agent Booth fell on his favorite patient list. But he was certain that he hit the top three for the most entertainment value, _ever._

Rolling her eyes, Brennan demanded, "How is that my fault? He's the one that brought it up. Besides, he's a health care professional. He should be able to talk about sex without embarrassment. And it's not like we actually had sex in here no matter what that nurse told him." Noting Booth's wide eyes and, once again, red face, Brennan glanced toward the door.

"Oh, hi, Wendell."


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks to all my readers and most especially the ones taking the time to review.**

**Disclaimer: Nope. Still not mine.**

**BTW I wanted to do something different for this chapter, so I thought we would take a look at the B&B dynamic from someone else's perspective. Let me know what you think.**

As I approach Agent Booth's room, I can hear them "discussing" something rather loudly, which is their habit. I have to smile. This obviously means that Booth is ok and things have returned to normal. But I guess normal is relative where those two are concerned.

When I was first accepted to the Jeffersonian, I was excited. But it was basically a means to an end. I have debts to repay and I was determined to keep my head down and learn from the best in my chosen field who just happens to be Dr. Temperence Brennan. I found Dr. Brennan to be a fair and impartial teacher. She delivered praise and criticism in a detached, impersonal manner. I thought she was cold and unfeeling and frankly she scared the crap out of me. Then I saw them together.

They were standing nose to nose yelling at each other. Booth's hands on his waist, teeth clenched. Dr. Brennan was poking him in the chest, eyes flashing and my first thought was that they were going to kill each other. (Honestly, my first thought was how HOT Dr. Brennan was when she was mad, but, hey, I'm a guy and that's just how our brains work). They disappeared into Dr. Brennan's office and I anxiously waited for crashes or blood curdling screams to indicate they had inflicted physical injury on each other. Fifteen minutes later, they emerged with Booth's arm slung around Dr. Brennan's shoulders and left the lab. Together, laughing. Glancing around, I realized that I was the only one to consider this behavior unusual. I quickly learned.

I learned that even though they frequently spouted that they are "just partners", 99% of the FBI and Jeffersonian employees thought they were lovers. There were even betting pools. Mostly about when they would get caught in a compromising enough position to prove they were lovers. I (wisely, I think) didn't place a bet. Not because of any moral convictions. I just don't want to die when Booth and Dr. Brennan find out about it.

I learned that they are both passionate people. Neither of them tolerates anything interfering with their jobs and they work tirelessly to assure justice for the victims who come through the lab. Booth is passionate about his son, sports and Dr. Brennan. Dr. Brennan is passionate about her science and Booth.

I learned that Dr. Brennan is not nearly as oblivious as people seem to think. I have actually seen insensitive remarks hurt her feelings and I know that she understands social conventions more than she lets on by her conversation. I think her brain just works differently from most other peoples. She sees a lot of "societal strictures" as trivial and irrelevant. Basically, she just doesn't see the point in all the bullshit. But she is willing to make an effort to please people that are important to her.

I learned that Booth definitely considers Dr. Brennan "his". He touches her at every opportunity. He drags her out of the lab to eat and sleep. When the Gormagon case went down, Dr. Brennan did not respond in an openly emotional way. She just got quieter and quieter. I noticed that for a couple of weeks she would disappear into Limbo as everyone else was leaving for the night. For the first three days, she was still there in the mornings. On the fourth morning, I arrived early and found Booth just on his way out to head home and get ready for work. It seemed that if he couldn't make her go home, he certainly wasn't going to leave her alone with her pain. On the sixth morning, I found them both asleep on the couch in Dr. Brennan's office, arms wrapped tightly around each other. I closed the door from prying eyes and made it a point to get to work early for the next two weeks. And don't even get me started on how Booth acts when another man so much as looks at Dr. Brennan. He has done everything but piss in a circle around her to mark his territory. And he thinks (laugh) that nobody notices any of this.

I learned that they apparently love pushing each other's buttons and that they are both very, very good at it. I guess that comes from knowing each other so well. Of course they know each other well. The only time they spend apart is when they're actually sleeping and from accidentally overheard conversations, they have fairly regular sleepovers. I refuse to speculate on the nature of those sleepovers. Oh, please, of course I think they're sleeping together.

I learned that Dr. Brennan also knows a thing or two about marking her own territory. I thought she pretty much made it clear that she considered Booth hers during the case where Booth was a murder suspect. Obviously not. Since that case, Agent Perotta has been hitting on Booth pretty heavily, she even started showing up to hockey practice. I might have mentioned the hockey practice thing at work one day and what do you know? At the next practice, Booth arrived with Dr. Brennan in tow. She has been attending every practice and game since. They arrive (sometimes they even have Parker), she cheers for him and they leave together, always with Booth touching her. Message sent: Booth is MINE. Message received: I haven't seen Perotta hanging around in a while.

The most important thing I have learned is that ignorance_ is_ bliss. Or at least the appearance of ignorance drastically makes my work life easier. So, any time I overhear or see something with those two that I shouldn't (right now is a perfect example), I simply take a page from Dr. Brennan's book and appear completely oblivious. I simply smile, return their greetings and hold up the bag holding their requested lunches from the diner.


	6. Chapter 6

I hope you guys enjoyed reading that last chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.

**Disclaimer: Nope, still not mine.**

Wendell only stayed about half an hour discussing sports with Booth while Brennan returned to her computer. It was clear that he had overheard their conversation and was pretending that he hadn't. Brennan and Booth both liked the kid so neither brought it up.

When Wendell left, Brennan walked over to the bed and sat down. Booth looked at her with a grin and a raised eyebrow, reaching out to bring her closer. Brennan stopped him with a hand on his chest.

"Booth, I need to go home," she said.

"What? Why? Did I do something wrong?" Inside he was panicking, instantly deciding that she was running away from him. She took his hand in hers and he calmed.

"No, Booth, of course you didn't do anything wrong. I just need to go home to get some clean clothes. Besides, I told Angela I'd leave the hospital today." She grinned at him impishly.

"Oh, ok," somewhat sheepishly, he raised her hand to his lips, kissing it tenderly. "Would you mind running by my place? I need clean pjs and something to wear home tomorrow." He certainly didn't want to have to leave the hospital in a suit.

"I don't mind at all." Booth could tell something was bothering her. She had been thinking hard about something since Angela and Hodgins left. He reached out and tilted up her chin. "What's wrong, Bones?"

Brennan sighed. This man knew her well. "Was it a little awkward for you when Angela and Hodgins were here?"

"Only when I almost called you Baby," he grinned then sighed leaning his head back against the pillow. "We will figure this out. You know that, right?"

She looked at him levelly. "I believe you. I just think that maybe we need to figure this thing out for ourselves before we let everyone else in. I'm not really saying keep it a secret just that it's not anybody else's business right now. I do better when something is structured as opposed to, well, unstructured." She finished in a rush as if afraid of his reaction.

Booth peered at her closely and saw she was being totally honest and open with him. "So, what, exactly, are you saying here, Bones? That we set some ground rules?" he asked jokingly.

"Yes." She leaned in to kiss him, pleased that he had figured it out.

He wasn't exactly thrilled with the prospect of Rules to Romance Someone By, but he was happy to accept her kiss and it was several minutes before she pulled away. He knew that Brennan had a need for structure. It made her feel in control. And they had a lot to figure out. Like this whole relationship. And when all was said and done, them being together was the most important thing. Seeing one of his fellow agents making his way down the hall, Booth nodded toward the door. "I'm about to have a visitor. How about we talk about it tonight when we're less likely to be interrupted? You are staying tonight?"

"Of course." It was that simple for her. He wanted her here and here she would be. He fought the urge to pull her into his arms and give his coworker an eyeful. She unselfconsciously slid off the bed and greeted the other agent by name, surprising him. He was even more surprised by her friendly manner. After ascertaining the Charlie was staying for a while, Brennan stood and told Booth that she was going to run her errands. She caught herself leaning down to kiss Booth goodbye and managed to divert the kiss to his cheek instead of his lips. Charlie's eyes widened but he was smart enough to keep his mouth shut. Giving them both a warm smile, she left the room, both men staring after her. "Wow, Booth, she is really something else," Charlie told his friend.

"Yeah, Charlie, she really is." _And she's all mine_.

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Brennan returned to the hospital shortly before five to find that several of Booth's fellow agents were visiting. Most were sitting around the room, relaxed, chatting easily with Booth and each other. The one notable exception was (Oh, joy) Agent Perotta. She hovered over Booth as if he were on his death bed and she was guarding him from the Grim Reaper, constantly reaching out to pat his hand, arm and shoulder. Her attentions were noted by everyone in the room with mixed reactions. Most of the other agents were amused. They could see how uncomfortable her ministrations made Booth (every time she touched him, Booth shifted that body part to dislodge her hand). One was jealous. He thought Booth was HOT. Charlie was wondering if they were going to get to see a cat fight when Dr. Brennan got back. Booth was wondering pretty much the same thing. He had done everything but jump out of the bed and shout_ Stop. Touching. Me._ to discourage Perotta but she wasn't getting the message. He didn't want to embarrass her in front of the other agents, but he was tired of her chasing him. He was also 100% certain that Brennan would be unhappy with the situation and 100% _un_certain of her reaction. It could be anything from a raised eyebrow to a physical confrontation. Suddenly feeling her presence, he glanced up to see Brennan leaning on the door jamb, one eyebrow raised, a small smile gracing her lips, gym bag slung carelessly over one shoulder. He felt like he hadn't seen her in days.

"Hi," he extended his hand, tossing her an unconsciously intimate smile.

"Hi," she walked over and took his hand, allowing him to pull her down to sit on the bed. All the seats in the room were already taken so it was only logical that she should sit on the bed, she rationalized. It had nothing to do with her wanting to deck Agent Perotta when she saw her putting her hands on Booth. The only thing that had saved Perotta was Booth's obvious attempts to avoid her touch. Booth released her hand but slid his hand to the small of her back, idly tracing patterns there while continuing to chat with his friend. The next time Perotta reached out to touch Booth, he simply shifted closer to Brennan. Brennan looked at her with a raised eyebrow (This look usually sent her grad students running for cover). Perotta quickly withdrew her hand. Everyone in the room (except maybe Perotta) now knew for sure that she was wasting her time.


	7. Chapter 7

Keep the reviews coming. After all, I can't know if you're enjoying the story without them.

**Disclaimer: I do not own them.**

Around 5:45, Booth noticed Brennan frequently checking her watch and glancing anxiously down the hall. He leaned close enough to whisper in her ear, "Expecting someone?"

"Yes," her head turned and their lips were almost touching. Everyone else in the room faded away.

"Who?" he whispered tucking her hair behind her ear.

"It's a surprise," she whispered back.

Perotta, who had moved to lean against a wall, glared at the oblivious couple. Every other agent in the room was grinning. Man, were they going to have some juicy office gossip tomorrow.

Glancing toward the hallway again, Brennan turned back to Booth with an excited grin. "Surprise." Booth looked but didn't see anyone that he knew, then he heard a familiar voice and a wide grin split his face.

"Mooommm, hurry up. We're late and Bones will be lonely without me."

"Parker, we're only a little late and I'm sure Dr. Brennan's fine."

"Come on, Mom." They had now reached the door and Parker paused, startled to see so many people inside the room. Then he caught sight of his father, awake and sitting up in bed. "Daddy," he cried, rushing across the room, climbing on the bed and throwing himself into Booth's arms. Booth hugged his son tightly, closing his eyes and silently thanking God that they had each other. Parker hugged him back tightly, then quickly wriggled out of his grasp. To Booth's surprise, he threw himself straight into Brennan's already open arms. "I'm sorry I'm late, Bones," he said, his head resting against her shoulder. "Were you lonely without me?"

"Maybe a little, Parker. But your Dad and his friends were keeping me company." She gently brushed his blond curls away from his forehead when he lifted his head. Settling himself between her and Booth, Parker surveyed the assembled agents. "That's nice. But I'm here now." He reached out and grabbed Brennan's hand almost possessively. Booth almost laughed out loud. Parker had always loved Bones, but, apparently, with Booth out of commission, he had appointed himself her champion and protector. He had also just let a room full of FBI agents know that she was off limits. _Way to go, son_. Said agents were mostly sensitive enough to know that Booth would want to spend some alone time with his son and soon started to leave. The insensitive ones were ushered out by the others. Perotta was the last to leave, Charlie almost dragging her away.

To Booth's surprise, as soon as chairs were available, Parker jumped off the bed, grabbed his backpack and Brennnan's hand and pulled her toward one. Booth watched in astonishment as Parker stood aside for Brennan to seat herself, crawled into her lap, then started pulling out all his papers from school that day proudly displaying them to Brennan. They both looked completely relaxed and comfortable, as if they had done this a thousand times before. Booth could hear Brennan softly murmuring praise for Parker's work and Parker chattering excitedly about, well, everything. Booth felt his heart melt at the sight. If he hadn't already loved this woman as much as humanly possible, he would have fallen for her in that instant.

Booth looked at Rebecca with a raised eyebrow. She shrugged back, leaned closer and started to explain. "It was the strangest thing. The day after your surgery, I didn't want to bring Parker because I thought he would be scared that you weren't awake. But he begged and begged until he finally wore me down. He kept saying that if you were sleeping, Dr. Brennan would be lonely. He walked in and crawled up in her lap and didn't move for two hours. They just sat there_ like that'_" she gestured toward the pair. "Dr. Brennan asked me to bring him the next night and now they both just kind of expect it."

Parker clambered back up on the bed to show off his papers once again, receiving lavish praise from both parents. Noticing Brennan's absence, Parker simply said, "Bones," and patted the bed beside him. Miraculously, she came.

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Booth was exhausted. Unbelievably, just having visitors and spending a couple of hours with his son had worn him out as much as a full day at work. He was currently standing under the spray of the shower and the hot water felt wonderful on his sore muscles. The nurse had removed the bandage from his head and he was relieved to see he still had most of his hair. The surgery had not required that his skull actually be opened, so he had three small burr holes. They would be reassessed after his shower to see if they still needed bandages. Feeling clean and relaxed, Booth stepped out of the shower and dried himself off. He slipped on a pair of flannel sleep pants not bothering with underwear. Looking around, he realized that he hadn't brought a shirt in with him.

"Babe," he called, partially opening the bathroom door.

"What?" Brennan's head popped in seconds later. Booth couldn't help but notice how her eyes widened when she saw his bare chest. She gave him such a slow, thorough perusal with her eyes that Booth found himself silently chanting, _no sex, no sex, no sex_.

"Did you bring me a shirt?" Booth's question brought her eyes up from those sculpted abs and impressive pecs to stare into those very, very warm brown eyes.

"Of course. I'll get it." She returned seconds later with one of his favorite t-shirts. "Booth," she scolded, noticing his still wet hair, "here sit down and let me dry your hair. You need to keep those incisions dry." She motioned him to sit down on the toilet seat and took his towel, very gently rubbing the towel through his hair paying particular attention to his incisions. She stepped between his spread thighs and bent his head forward to see the incision on the back of his head. His forehead was resting against her stomach. Although his mind was saying_ no sex_, his hands were reaching out to touch the outside of her thighs and run up to her waist, playing with the drawstring waistband of the low cut sleep pants she was wearing. Taking a deep breath, he inhaled her scent, her shower gel combined with something that was uniquely Brennan. He decided that the doctor probably didn't know what he was talking about.

His hands began to slowly lift the cotton tank top she was wearing, baring her toned stomach to his eyes and lips. He began to string kisses across her abdomen. When he came to her bellybutton, his tongue snaked out, dipping in. Her hands were resting on his shoulders and she was pressing herself against his mouth. At the second flick of his tongue, she moaned low in her throat. "Booth, what are you doing?" she gasped.

"I thought that would be self explanatory," He was inching her shirt higher, followed by his lips, his arms around her waist to hold her to him more closely.

"We can't. Your doctor said no sex." Booth had often been made uncomfortable by Brennan talking about sex. He now found that just having her say the word when they were well on their way to having sex made him hard instantly.

"Just because I can't, doesn't mean you can't." He was slipping his hands down the back of her pants cupping her bottom and pulling her closer, his lips trailing back down her abdomen.

Before she lost her resolve, Brennan tipped his chin up and said, "No, Booth, I want us to be together when we do this."

Holding her in place, he placed one last, lingering kiss on her abdomen and stood, his chest dragging against hers. They both groaned at the contact. His forehead resting against hers, he tried to regulate his ragged breathing. "Wanna makeout?" He asked with an eyebrow wiggle. Without answering, she placed her hands on each side of his face and pulled his mouth down to hers sucking his bottom lip into her mouth. At his gasp, her tongue swept into his mouth eliciting a groan. Then he was the aggressor, his hand fisted in her hair, his lips biting at hers. Booth finally realized that if they didn't stop, they _were_ going to have sex right here and now whether the doctor approved or not. Giving her one last lingering kiss, he rested his forehead against hers. "Let's go to bed."


	8. Chapter 8

Thanks for the reviews and thanks for just taking time to read. I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: They are not mine.

Temperence Brennan was frustrated. Her and Booths impromptu make out session in the bathroom last night hadn't ended with his let's go to bed remark. Knowing that it was a bad idea, she had reached up to kiss him just one more time. One more time had lasted almost an hour and gotten much, much hotter than either had intended. She had wound up pressed against the wall, her bare breasts crushed against the firm, sculpted muscles of his chest. Their hands and mouths had been all over each others' upper bodies. She felt herself flushing from just the memory. The only thing that had stopped them was the nurse coming in to check Booth's incisions (damn nurse).

She had given them both a very disapproving stare when she saw their mussed states and Booth's very obvious arousal as they exited the bathroom. She checked Booth's wounds and decided that they did not need bandages. She had (finally) left the room, throwing them another disapproving look over her shoulder. They just smiled at each other. Booth watched TV and dozed while Brennan graded papers for her grad students.

About an hour later, she glanced up when he flipped off the TV. He gave her an intimate smile, his eyes warm and sleepy. "Are you ready to go to bed?"

She nibbled on her lower lip, an action that did not go unnoticed by him and his eyes got a little warmer. "Booth, do you really think that's a good idea?"

His smile just got sexier. "Bones, do you want to sleep with me?"

"Yes," with a sigh.

"Then come to bed." He scooted over a little, making room for her. He folded back the covers as she stood and walked over to the bed. Knowing this was a very bad idea, she slid in beside him. She started to turn on her side, putting her back to his chest so they would have more room in the small bed. Booth had other ideas. He gently nudged her onto her back. "What about my goodnight kiss?" he asked with a wicked twinkle in his eyes.

"Booth," she almost whined.

"Bones, do you want to kiss me goodnight?" Knowing that this was a very, very bad idea, she didn't even bother to answer. She simply placed her hand behind his head and drew his lips to hers. The next thing she knew, they were, once again, bare chest to bare chest, panting heavily. It took a willpower she hadn't known she possessed to stop him when she felt his fingers inching down the front of her pants.

As if that hadn't been enough to leave her the most sexually frustrated woman on the planet, she had woken up this morning with his erection pressing firmly against her bottom and his lips on her neck. She turned her head to tell him to stop and his lips immediately captured hers. She spent the next 20 minutes with his tongue down her throat. The way they were going, they would simply jump each other and have sex right in front of the doctor before the words giving them the ok fully left his mouth.

So, yes, she was just a wee bit frustrated. Okay, she had reached a level of frustration that she hadn't known existed and there was nothing she could do about it. Well, technically, she could, she just didn't want to. Well, okay, she did want to, desperately, she just wasn't going to. When she had told Booth that she wanted them to be together on this, she had meant it, but, dammit, this abstinence thing _sucked_. Right now, she hated Booth's doctor with the fires of a thousand suns and was just waiting for him to appear so that she could release a little angst. She glanced up at a slight noise and grinned evilly, seeing a familiar face enter the room. Well, well, well, her day was definitely looking up. She had all this angst and here was just the person to help her get rid of it. Besides, she couldn't really kill Booth's doctor. At least not for six more days. She put aside the anthropology journal she had been studying.

"Good morning, Agent Perotta."

"Good morning, Dr. Brennan." Perotta was a little taken aback. Brennan had sounded almost friendly. She was also irritated_. Didn't that woman_ _ever go home_? She had purposely come by so early to, hopefully, catch a couple of hours alone with Booth. She was sure that their audience yesterday afternoon was the only reason he had been just a little standoffish with her and that he, too, would be pleased with some them time. After all, he had flirted with her on that first case. He had only said those things about Dr. Brennan because of confusion caused by pain meds made necessary by _her_ hurting him. And even if he did have feelings for Dr. Brennan, she didn't deserve him. She was such a clueless, social misfit that all she could ever be to someone as friendly and outgoing as Booth was an embarrassment. She couldn't even carry on a conversation with a normal person, for heavens' sake.

Perotta had been flirting with Booth for months and she _knew_ he was going to ask her out any day now. He had mentioned hockey practice where she was sure to overhear. She had understood the invitation and gone to watch the practice. Then Dr. Brennan had started showing up and she hated seeing them in each other's company so much that she had stopped going. She had started to wonder if there was something physically wrong with Dr. Brennan (actually she hoped). She seemed to need Booth to physically support her. She was always making him put his arm around her. She also apparently had such a poor sense of direction that he had to lead her around with a hand on her back. Perotta didn't understand how Booth could tolerate being around Dr. Brennan during work hours, but she made him spend all of his down time with her and that was just wrong.

Unaware of Perotta's dark thoughts, Brennan watched her in amusement. When Perotta failed to speak, Brennan took the initiative. "Agent Perotta?"

"Agent Perotta?" Brennan's voice pulled Perotta out of her reverie. From the look on Brennan's face Perotta could tell that she had spoken to her more that once before getting her attention.

"What?" Perotta practically snarled the question.

Brennan stiffened at her tone. Lifting her eyebrow, her eyes became a frozen wasteland. Nobody could mistake that face for friendly. In spite of herself, Perotta was intimidated. Trying to shake it off, she pasted a fake smile on her face. "I'm sorry, Dr. Brennan, I didn't mean to snap at you. So where is Agent Booth?"

"He's having an MRI, before they release him," Brennan returned stiffly. She might not really care that much about social customs, but she was not nearly as oblivious as people thought. She knew that Perotta did not like her and she knew why (she had been around Angela enough for some things to rub off even on her). She was also, first and foremost, an alpha female with an instinctive need to protect what was hers (Nobody _ever_ tell Booth that she even thought that). She didn't for even a nanosecond think that Perotta was a threat to her relationship with Booth. But, hey, she was bored and frustrated and there was nobody else around to take it out on so Perotta would have to do. And she was not so surprisingly okay with that. Pasting a fake smile on her own face, she looked directly at Perotta. If Booth could have seen the glint in her eyes, he would have given Perotta two words of advice. _Run. Now_.

"Agent Perotta, did you have a specific reason for coming by?"

"No. I just thought I would stop by and check on Booth. You know, as a friend. I'm a friendly person." Brennan's stare was making her uncomfortable and she was rambling a bit.

"Yes, I've heard that about you, Agent Perotta." Brennan nodded agreeably. At Perotta's questioning look, she continued. "That you're _very _friendly." _Especially in the back seat of a car_.

Perotta gaped at Brennan? _Did she just call me a whore? Surely not. Not the_ _prim and proper Dr. Brennan_. Placing her hands on her hips, Perotta glared at Brennan suspiciously. "What, exactly, are you implying, Dr. Brennan?"

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As the orderly, wheeled Booth down the hall, Booth was peering toward his room, trying to catch a glimpse of Brennan. He had actually missed her during the short time he had been in radiology. He spotted the two women and automatically raised his hand in the military stop gesture. The orderly, ex army, halted and glanced into the room. "Don't tell me. Wife and girlfriend?" he laughed.

"Not even close." Booth looked at their stances. Perotta looked angry and aggressive. Brennan's body language said that she was completely comfortable and relaxed. Then he caught sight of her face. _Uh oh_. She had on her _I'm acting all sweet_ _and innocent because I know what I just did was bad_ face and that never went well for anyone except Brennan. Booth debated with himself. He really should go in there and rescue Perotta as much as he didn't want to. On the other hand, he did _not _want Bones turning her wrath on him. Besides, what better place to get your butt kicked than in a hospital? He was sure Bones wouldn't hurt her too badly and immediate medical attention would be available. With a sigh, he made up his mind. The orderly leaned down. "Look, Buddy, I'd love to stand here all day and look at women, but I got other patients. You going in or not?"

"Nah. I think I'll stay out here for a while"

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"I'm not implying anything, Agent Perotta. I'm simply stating the fact that I have heard numerous male FBI agents remarking that you are, indeed, very friendly." Brennan's eyes were unbelievably round and innocent and on anyone else, Perotta would have known instantly that they were messing with her. Having had some past interaction with Brennan, she bought it hook, line and sinker.

Turning away to hide a smile, Brennan spotted Booth and lifted an eyebrow in amusement. He grinned back and blew her a kiss. Brennan winked and turned back to Perotta. Booth was back. It was time for Perotta to go.

"So, what time is Booth being released?" Brennan swung around at the question.

"I have no idea. Was there a specific reason you needed to know."

"Well, no, I just thought I would offer him a ride home." Perotta was getting excited. In her mind, she was taking Booth home from the hospital. Then they would have the rest of the day together. _He might even invite her to stay the_ _night_ she thought to herself. Brennan's voice pulled her from her happy place.

Brennan allowed her amusement to show. "I'm sure that Booth would appreciate the offer, Agent Perotta. But I can assure you that Booth doesn't have any transportation needs that concern you. You really shouldn't concern yourself with any of Booth's needs. He will be well taken care of."

"Huh?" Perotta looked confused and suddenly Brennan was even more frustrated. Perotta obviously didn't understand that Brennan was telling her to back off. Brennan thought for a few seconds and suddenly a brilliant idea occurred to her. One that left no room for misinterpretation. Unobtrusively, she made eye contact with Booth, sending him a silent message which he instantly understood. Turning back to Perotta, Brennan did her best to channel Angela.

"Let me put this in a way that even you can understand, Agent Perotta. Booth is MINE. I will provide his transportation and _anything else_ that he requires. Your interest in Agent Booth is not returned. You will only embarrass yourself if you continue to chase him. And," she finished, leaning in closer, "if I ever see you put your hands on him again, I will personally kick your butt."

Looking into her eyes, Perotta believed her. Booth had come in behind Brennan. Turning, she slid her arms around his waist. He reciprocated, looking directly at Agent Perotta while doing so to make sure that she got the message. Perotta gave a sick smile and started for the door. "Hey, can't blame a girl for trying."

No one answered. Perotta turned back just in time to see Booth tip Brennan's head back and start nibbling on her lips. A black rage like nothing she had ever experienced enveloped Perotta as she stalked out of the room. _This is not over_.

Brennan finally pulled back from Booth with a throaty laugh. She had been perfectly aware that Perotta had seen them kissing. In fact, that was the plan. People didn't always believe words but throw in a visual and you could convince anybody of pretty much anything. Foreheads pressed together, Booth asked, "What's so funny?"

"It seems that Agent Perotta is not as smart as she thought she was so I had to dumb things down for her. Do you think she finally understood?"

Smothering a laugh at this devious side of Bones, Booth leaned in for another kiss. "Yeah, Baby, I think she could have been blind and got the message."

?"

Smothering a laugh at this devious side of Bones, Booth leaned in for another kiss. "Yeah, Baby, I think she could have been blind and got the message."


	9. Chapter 9

**Thanks for reading.**

**Disclaimer: They're not mine, but after all the making out I let them do, I bet they wish they were**.

Half an hour later, Booth and Brennan were impatiently awaiting the doctor's arrival. Brennan's head lay on his shoulder with his hand stroking her hair. "Not that I'm complaining about kissing you, but I thought you didn't really want anyone to know about us just yet." Booth whispered against her hair.

To his surprise, Brennan snorted. "Booth, even I know that Perotta isn't going to say anything." She raised her head to look at him.

Seeing his quizzical look, she explained, "Anthropologically speaking, you are an alpha male, a person in a position of power or authority. Perotta has openly been trying to gain your attention. It would elevate her status within her society if she were chosen as a mate by you. On the other hand, it would diminish her status if others knew she had been rejected by you, especially for another female. Besides no woman wants to admit to others that the person she wants doesn't want her." The tone of her voice alerted him that this was a touchy subject for her. He knew it for sure when she wouldn't meet his eyes. Tipping her chin up, he looked steadily into her eyes. "What's wrong?"

She tried to move her head and break their gaze, but he held fast, not hurting her but not letting go either. "Brennan, what is it?" His voice was stern.

She hated to admit it, but it sent a shiver down her spine when he said her name like that. With a sigh, she just told him. "I know how I would feel if you had chosen her over me."

"Oh, Baby, never gonna happen." His hand slid into her hair, pulling her head back. He bent his head and kissed her sensuously, his tongue slipping into her mouth. That is, of course, the exact instant the doctor walked in. He had to clear his throat three times before they broke apart. Two separate nurses had already given him reports on their nighttime activities. He had to admit he had never seen the nursing staff take this much interest in a patient's sex life. He wasn't sure whether to be concerned or amused (about the nurses). He was definitely concerned about Booth and Brennan because if this was how they acted while he was a patient, they would probably wind up having sex in the parking lot as soon as Booth was discharged. He was going to have to talk to them again. He _so _did not want to have that conversation. He could already feel his face turning red.

"Well, Agent Booth, everything looks good on your MRI. Your labs are good. Your neuro exams are normal. It looks like you can get out of here today," he said almost jovially. _You know, these two are professionals. I have already given them_ _instructions on what activities to avoid. If they choose to ignore that advice, then_ _there is really nothing I can do about that_. He smiled inwardly as he talked himself out of having to have another sex talk with these two. "I'll just go get the nurses started on your discharge papers." He almost made it out of the room. Almost, but not quite. Unfortunately for him, Brennan had decided that she did, indeed, have enough angst to share equally between him and Perotta. If he had known what was coming, he probably would have just made a run for it.

"I have some questions," Brennan piped up cheerfully. Making an about face the doctor put on his interested face and raised a questioning brow. "Yes, Dr. Brennan. What questions do you have?"

Booth's eyes narrowed on Brennan's face. She had on her sweetest, most innocent face. That did not bode well for the doctor. Booth gave her a warning look, but she just gave him a sweet smile and a look that said "Back off, Booth. I'm doing this." _Well, what do you know, looks like docs on his own_. Looking back, Brennan gave the doctor a sweet, sweet smile and what Angela referred to as "the eyes". The doctor suddenly found himself liking Dr. Brennan a lot more and thinking that he must have seriously misjudged her. Until she opened her mouth. "I need you to explain to me, physiologically, why Booth and I can't have sex." Booth showered himself and the bed with the huge mouthful of soda he had just taken.

Flushing, already tugging on his earlobe, the doctor just gave Brennan a blank look. "I'm sorry?"

Same sweet smile plastered on her face, eyelashes fluttering, Brennan gently took the doctors arm and led him to a chair, ushering him into it. "Is it because of the possible rupture of blood vessels in his head? Is that why you told us not to have sex?" Nodding and very, very red faced, the doctor looked relieved both that this conversation was over and that he would be leaving this room immediately. He was wrong on both counts. Booth was lying in the bed laughing so hard that he was holding his stomach. "Is that the only reason?" Brennan wanted clarification. Nod.

"Then I guess I'm confused. Because the way Booth is laughing," she threw him a disgusted look, "will cause as much intracranial pressure as all but the most strenuous sex. Right?" Nod of confirmation. "So, really, it would be okay to have mild to moderately strenuous sex?" Slower nod of confirmation. Brennan patted his arm as if she were extremely proud of him and he looked really, really scared. He also looked as if he was going to jerk off his own ear at any time. Booth really wanted to tell her to stop, but he was laughing so hard that he couldn't talk. Still smiling, Brennan pulled out her laptop. "I thought you would say that so I did a little research." She turned the laptop to face him. His face went red/white/red/white changing colors like a flashing neon sign. "I pulled up the Kama Sutra online and marked all these positions as the less strenuous ones. I thought you could go through them individually and mark all the appropriate ones." He thrust the laptop at her, jumped up and ran out of the room.

Booth howled. Brennan felt better.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It took the nurses almost five hours to discharge Booth and they, too, were treated to the Wrath of Bones. They kept trying to explain that Booth's chart had disappeared and they couldn't do anything without orders. For the first hour, she gave them the benefit of the doubt and simply requested that they look harder for the chart. During hour two, she demanded that they call the doctor and just ask him. They tried to explain that they _had_ called the doctor several times but every time they started to verify Booth's discharge, they got cut off. They had no idea why. Booth had an inkling. He toyed with the idea of mentioning it. But, no, no freaking way was he having that conversation with her. At least not until they were behind closed doors with their privacy assured. By the middle of hour three, Booth doubted that a nurse would have entered his room if someone held a gun to their heads. If Brennan stepped so much as one foot outside his room, every nurse on the floor disappeared. Just melted into the ether. Booth thought that they would have made good snipers with this ability to hide and not be found. At the beginning of hour four, the hospital administrator appeared in his room. He was treated to a ten minute tirade on incompetence, the failings of the health care system in general and this hospital in particular. Desperately, he offered to personally go to the doctor's office and get Booth's discharge orders. Brennan regally nodded her acceptance of his offer and he practically ran from the room.

Twenty minutes later, he returned to the hospital with Booth's missing chart tucked underneath his arm. The doctor said that he had simply accidently left the hospital with the chart. Mr. Johnson seriously doubted that and he did find it curious that the doctor's face got a little redder every time Dr. Brennan's name was mentioned but the doctor refused to discuss it. Thinking about going into that room again and offering an explanation made him break out in a cold sweat. So, he did what any good administrator would do. He called the nursing supervisor and tried to make her do it. That went almost as badly as his conversation with Dr. Brennan. She laughed in his face, told him that Dr. Brennan had made every nurse on the floor cry at least once today and to be a man and get Booth and Brennan out of the hospital before the nurses went on strike. _And no, it is not an abuse of power when you hand tasks off to others, it is called delegating. _Reluctantly, he returned to Booth's room and explained the mix-up and that Booth was free to go. He had also already had Booth's prescriptions filled at the hospital pharmacy in a conciliatory gesture. For whatever reason, she allowed him to live and he was grateful. He left the room praying for the couple's good health. Actually, his prayer was _Please, God, don't let either one of them get sick or hurt and have to come back to my hospital ever again, Amen. _


	10. Chapter 10

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After stopping at Brennan's for her to grab some clothes and toiletries, they finally arrived at Booth' apartment just before five. They had discussed it and decided that Booth would probably be more comfortable at his place and that Brennan would stay there to keep an eye on him. They carried in the mountain of stuff that had accumulated during his hospital stay then sank side by side onto the sofa, leaning gently against each other. They were both exhausted. Booth was, after all, recovering from brain surgery. Brennan was mostly just tired from creating havoc at the hospital. _Hey, it is exhausting to yell at people for hours at a_ _time. You just try it sometime_. Booth slid his arm around Brennan's shoulders and pulled her closer with a sigh of contentment.

Brennan closed her eyes and just enjoyed his closeness and the complete silence. She hadn't realized how much the noise at the hospital had bothered her until she didn't hear it anymore. Looking down, Booth saw that her eyes were closed. He nudged her and her eyes fluttered open to look up at him. He smiled at her, "Don't go to sleep on me, Bones."

"I wasn't asleep, Booth, I was just resting for a minute. Are you hungry?"

"Not for food." Hearing the husky note in his voice, her eyes flew to his, finding them locked on her mouth. His eyes were so dark with desire that they were almost black. Seeing the way he was looking at her made her breath catch in her throat and her tongue dart out to moisten suddenly dry lips. Eyes never leaving her mouth, Booth pushed her backward until she was wedged into the corner of the couch, partially reclining. Leaning over her, his weight supported on his arms, he growled, "Let me do that for you." His head bent and Brennan felt the tip of his tongue run across her bottom lip before moving to the top one. Brennan moaned and opened her mouth, an invitation which he gladly accepted. His tongue swept into her mouth as his hand buried itself in her hair, tilting her head to deepen the kiss. Involuntarily, Brennan's entire body arched toward him and she heard his responding groan. In the next instant, Booth had dragged her down to lay flat on the couch, planting himself firmly on top of her. He was devouring her mouth in a way that clearly told her that after her little discussion with the doctor, their enforced abstinence was a thing of the past.

Brennan was drowning in sensation. Booth's body was warm and hard against hers. His chest pressed so tightly to hers caused her breasts to tingle and tighten with the need to remove clothing and have them pressed against his bare skin. He was grinding his erection against her center and making her ache. She moaned again as one deep, wet kiss led to another, and another, and another, each one just a little deeper, a little longer than the last. These were the kind of kisses that you never wanted to end, the kind of kisses that you would do anything for.

Booth was really trying to slow down, but he felt like he would die if he didn't get inside of her soon. He knew that it was their first time and he wanted it to be slow and perfect. He also felt like their last four years together had been foreplay and he knew for a fact that he had been almost constantly aroused for the last two days. Just kissing her like this, with kisses that said _you are my woman and I_ _am taking you to bed now_ and having her return them so eagerly, pushed his control to the limits. Brennan suddenly closed her lips around his tongue and sucked it even deeper into her mouth. Booth felt that last thread of control snap. Reaching between them, he quickly undid the button on her slacks and slid the zipper down. Her hands had moved to his waist, quickly undoing his belt and button. She started slowly sliding his zipper down, her hand grazing his erection in the process. He groaned and pressed her more deeply into the couch. Suddenly, they were both gasping for breath, their hands frantically removing each other's clothing when they both froze. Someone was impatiently ringing the doorbell.

Trying to calm his ragged breathing, Booth rested his forehead against Brennans. She was also trying to get her breathing under control and calm her heartbeat at the same time.

"Are you expecting anyone?" she finally asked.

Booth looked into her eyes and felt himself being drawn back into those warm, liquid pools of blue. "Ignore it. Maybe they'll go away," he whispered leaning down to kiss her again. Brennan knew that if he kissed her again, she would be sucked right back into their very own raging storm of desire and nobody would be answering the door. She turned her head slightly and his lips landed on her cheek.

"Booth, we have to see who's at the door. It might be…..ah……important." Booth had kissed his way across her jaw line and was now sucking on her neck right below her ear, a place that he had imagined doing exactly that to at least a thousand times. He didn't even notice that the doorbell was still ringing.

"Booth," she said sharply, lightly slapping his shoulder, "you have to let me up, so I can answer the door."

Whimpering in frustration, he rolled far enough to the side for her to slip out from under him. Quickly redoing buttons and readjusting clothing, she smoothed her hair and headed for the door. She peered through the peephole and turned to him with wide eyes.

"What?"

She gestured toward his pants and he realized that she wanted him to fix his appearance. When she opened the door, he found out why.

"Sweetie," squealed Angela, throwing her arms around Brennan.

"Ange, what are you doing here?" Brennan was staring, wide eyed behind her friend.

"Well, we decided to stop by and see you guys," she laughed, pushing the door wider and stepping around Brennan, "and we brought pizza."

Although Booth had already heard Angela, he looked up to see her enter the room followed by….the entire freaking squint squad. Fan freaking tastic.

Brennan turned to Booth, throwing him a helpless look and wondered for just a second if Booth's doctor could possibly know Angela.


	11. Chapter 11

**Hodgins decided it was time for him to weigh in for this chapter. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Sadly, still not mine.**

I tried to tell Angela that it wasn't a good idea for all of us to just show up here like this. But would she listen? No, she thought that Booth and Brennan would be glad of the company after being stuck in the hospital for so many days. Judging by the look of confusion on Dr. B's face and the scowl on Booths, I don't think they are pleased to see us. I told Angela that they would be exhausted and would probably want to go straight to bed when they got home. Judging by their rumpled clothing and mussed hair, they were already napping when we arrived. We all filed in, everyone except Angela feeling a little as if we were intruding on something, and settled in for pizza and conversation.

I find my mind wandering back to the time when Booth first entered our little world of science. The first case he and Dr. B worked together went so badly that she told Zach to never put his calls through again. In all fairness, the case had been solved quickly; it was more of a personality issue that had made Dr. B give that order. Then Booth turned around and had her held by security at the airport. She had been furious, but she had worked the case with him. I'm not entirely sure what happened between them on that case but they tentatively formed a partnership that so far has held through unbelievable events that would usually tear people apart instead of bringing them closer together as they appear to have done with this pair.

From the beginning, Angela had harped on the sexual tension between them. At first, everyone ignored her. But when everyone (everyone on the squint squad anyway) began to notice the changes in Dr. B, we started to take notice of Angela's ramblings. That is how the betting pool was born. It started out as a friendly bet between a couple of friends, then other people started finding out about it and wanted in on the action. I am the treasurer (the pool is currently over $20,000). So many people wanted in that Zach had to write a special computer program to keep up with the bets. We had to draw the line when the FBI employees wanted in, but we did help them set up their own system so they could do a separate pool. Angela's job is to monitor the couple and determine when they actually have sex. This will determine who wins the pool. You would not believe the number of people I have to listen to whining that they are obviously already sleeping together and the money should be awarded accordingly. I have to explain Angela's function in the pool dynamics at least twice a day.

I have always had the utmost respect for Dr. B. Her intelligence is daunting. Her work ethic is inspiring and as a fellow scientist, I can easily identify with her ability to separate herself from a situation and simply evaluate the evidence. I have often found myself at a loss to understand Booth's impatience waiting for us to reach a logical conclusion (he frequently wants us to guess and we just don't work like that) and have watched in amusement as Dr. B sends him away. The surprising thing is that he actually goes. He slinks away like a puppy that is being punished then, before you know it, there he is, back and begging for attention. She practically pats him on the head, but he generally contains his impatience and behaves himself as if he has no wish to be banished again.

I never really looked at Dr. B as a person until we were buried together by the Gravedigger. I know how weird that sounds, but it is true. She was always polite and friendly in a professional capacity, but did not really encourage you to get to know her on a more personal level, if you know what I mean. When we were buried alive, I certainly saw her on a personal level. I saw a warm, caring, compassionate, brilliant, resourceful woman who saved my life. I'm ashamed that it took something this drastic to make me see what was in front of my face every day. We have been closer since the Gravedigger incident. Sometimes, we both have nightmares still and nobody can understand how we feel better that the other. So we talk about it to each other if we need to. Angela does not know this and I doubt that Booth does either. It's not that we're trying to hide anything as much as we just don't want them to worry. I know how all this sounds and, no; I am not interested in Dr. B romantically. Angela is the only one for me. I am, however, interested in Dr. B being happy and being treated well. That being said, I have a couple of bones to pick with Booth. The first one is a biggie.

Camille Saroyon. This woman comes in from out of the blue and takes over Dr. B's lab and Dr. B's team. As if that isn't bad enough, she threatens to fire Dr. B. And what do you do about this, Booth? Oh, yeah, that's right, I remember now. You hop into the sack with her. What the hell, man? That is _so _not cool. I mean, it is obvious to anyone with eyes (except maybe Dr. B) that you have feelings and, let's be honest here, the hots for Dr. B. And you sleep with the boss that she hated at the time. Colossally stupid, my man. I'm sure that I wasn't the only one surprised by the fact that she didn't dropkick your butt into next year. By the way, it is rule #12 in the man handbook that when it comes to your best friend or your partner, you do not, _under any circumstances_, sleep with a blood relative or their boss. Check your handbook, dude. How would you like it if she slept with your boss? I'm sure you wouldn't mind at all. Yeah, right, you growl like a guard dog if someone even looks at her. Yes, the relationship with Cam didn't last long, but it had to be painful for Dr. B. In true Dr. B fashion, I doubt that she ever said a word.

True, Dr. B and Cam have made their peace and, I think, have built a professional respect for each other and we all like Cam. More true, Dr. B is the reason our team is what they are. Her drive for the truth in turn inspires all of us to put forth even more than our best and Cam will never be able to replace that. Dr. B is the heart and soul of the squint squad, as Booth insists on calling us, and she deserves to be treated as such. Most true, if Dr. B is fired or leaves the Jeffersonian, the squint squad will be right behind her.

The next issue that I have with Booth is his freaking line. Again, what the hell, man? You might as well have said, "I've been sleeping with your boss, but I don't find you attractive so before you get any ideas, I'm going to draw this imaginary line." I can almost guarantee that is pretty much what Dr. B heard. When Angela told me about the line, I was speechless. How did Booth ever have a kid? Judging by his behavior with Dr. B, I can't believe he gets laid like _ever_. Yeah, he's a good looking guy, but a woman is only going to take so many slaps to the ego before your goose is cooked for good and you will never, ever, ever have a chance with her. So GET. A. CLUE. DUDE.

Booth arrested her father and brother and she didn't even get mad at him. She forced him to admit on the stand that she could have committed the murder her father was on trial for and he forgave her.

I don't even want to know what happened when Dr. B went out with Booth's brother. Angela and Cam were totally freaked. Cam even arranged an intervention with Sweets for Dr. B. Now, am I the only one to see the irony in Cam trying to prevent Dr. B from sleeping with Booth's brother? In the end, I don't think she did. I'm sure Angela would have let me know about that. Dr. B made a speech at Booth's birthday party that amounted to a public apology and all was well once again.

Then Booth was killed. Well, obviously he wasn't, because I'm sitting here looking right at him. He took a bullet meant for Dr. B and I never, never want to see someone in that kind of pain again. We followed the ambulance to the hospital and waited. Dr. B sat in a chair a little away from everyone else while we all grouped together for support. She didn't say a word. When the doctor came out and told us that Booth was dead, she insisted on seeing his body. When they refused, she became almost hysterical. It was heartbreaking. It was as if she would not believe that he was dead until she saw it for herself. She wouldn't let anyone, not even Angela, touch her and it took us almost an hour to convince her to leave the hospital. Angela insisted on staying the night with her. She said that Dr. B locked herself in the bathroom for hours. Angela said that she could hear her sobbing but that Dr. B refused to come out and when she finally did come out she refused to talk about it. As soon as Angela went to sleep, she left the apartment. We found her in Limbo the next morning. For five days, she didn't say a word, not to anyone. She didn't leave Limbo. She ate a few bites when Angela brought her food and wouldn't leave her alone. Every time she fell asleep (bent over a stainless steel table, examining remains) she woke up screaming. It was awful. We basically declared Limbo off limits and took shifts staying with her. Just keeping her company. In all honesty, most of the time I don't think she even knew we were there and the rest of the time, she just didn't care. Sweets kept coming around looking for Dr. B, but we didn't trust him not to upset her so we kept him away. Booth was surprised when Dr. B punched him at his funeral. I was surprised that she didn't keep punching him. I would be willing to bet that Booth knows none of this. I'm certain that Dr. B won't tell him. It's just not her way.

Then there was Zach. I took Zach's defection hard, but he was only my best friend. He was Dr. B's creation. His intelligence was inherent, but she felt that she furthered his knowledge, gave him guidance and support and whether she will admit it or not, she loved him very much. In short, he was her surrogate son. As any good parent, she felt that she had failed him in some way. That she was responsible for his actions. She actually said this during one of our Gravedigger conversations so I know it must have been eating her alive for her to actually mention it. And for it to come so closely on the heels of Booth's death, for anyone else it would have been the straw that broke the camel's back. But not Dr. B. She is the strongest person I know and I actually worry about that. She shouldn't have to face all these bad things in her life alone and I just can't see her ever letting anyone else in as much as Booth. It is obvious that she cares deeply for him, but I'm afraid that he is going to keep hurting her and she doesn't deserve that. I know that Booth doesn't deliberately hurt her but it's like he has a blind spot where she is concerned. It is obvious that he doesn't want her to be with anyone else, but he won't let her be with him. People can't live in a vacuum. I hope he realizes that before it is too late.

When Booth was taken by the Gravedigger, it was like a nightmare for Dr. B and me. We were both scared for Booth, but it also brought all those horrible feelings and memories rushing back. I thought that I had lost her trust forever when she found out about me taking the evidence from the FBI, but we had a long talk after Booth was found and I think we will be okay. I certainly learned my lesson. The squint squad is a team and that is how we do our best work. As a team.

When Dr. B announced her intention to have a baby fathered by Booth, I was stunned. I was not the only one. Angela and Cam had a lot to say about it. None of it good. I'm starting to worry that those two are taking an almost unnatural interest in the relationship between Booth and Dr. B. After all, if they both want to have a baby together, what business is it of ours? I do have to throw in that I was especially surprised at the chosen method of conception. For heaven's sakes, the two of them are a married couple without the benefits, they could at least use this to have a little fun and accomplish the task at the same time. Note to self: Mention this to Booth. Then the brain tumor. I mean, how many awful things can happen to one person or in their case one couple? Thank God, Booth is fine. But during his four day coma, Dr. B did not leave his side and we all worried about what would happen to her if he wasn't okay. Everyone has a breaking point and I can't believe she hasn't just about reached hers. I suddenly hear my name being called and look up to see everyone staring at me curiously. Time to rejoin the present.


	12. Chapter 12

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**Disclaimer: Not mine. **

Booth quickly pulled a pillow into his lap as the squints trooped into his living room bearing beer and pizza, intent on welcoming him home. _Did it make him a_ _bad person to wish that they would all just disappear into the ether like the_ _nurses at the hospital?_ He really didn't care. The only thing he cared about right now was getting Brennan alone and picking up where they had left off. Briefly, he wondered how mad Brennan would be if he simply asked everyone to leave so that they could have sex. _Yes, he was absolutely that hot and frustrated_. But, no, he didn't really want to die tonight at Brennan's hands so he guessed he would just have to smile and make polite conversation with the squints. With a sigh, Booth pasted what he hoped passed for a smile on his face and greeted Wendell.

Angela looked at Booth and did a double take. _Boy, did he look all rumpled._ _Very, very sexy but …all mussed up. And_ _what is up with the pillow in his lap._ With a raised eyebrow, Angela turned to give Brennan her own, very thorough perusal. She felt a huge smile overtake her face at what she saw. Mussed hair. Check. Swollen lips. Check. Enough buttons undone on the shirt for her bra to show. Check. Shirt untucked. Check. Zipper on the pants halfway down. Double check. _OH. MY. GOD_. Brennan and Booth had been about to have sex when they interrupted them. Inwardly squealing with glee and doing a happy dance, Angela looked around the room. _Holy crap._ The couple that she had been trying to get together for four years had been about to have sex and _she_ had interrupted them. Now inwardly groaning and giving her own forehead a Duh slap, she racked her brain for a way to tactfully extricate everyone from the apartment immediately and leave the couple on their own for the rest of the evening. _Nope. Nada_. _Nothing_. After her insistence on everyone coming here, there was no graceful way to clear them out. She considered and discarded idea after idea. The only thing that might work would be to announce that they needed to leave so Booth and Bren could have sex. Angela was sure the room would instantly clear with everyone rushing back to the Jeffersonian to check the betting pool to see who had won the 20 thousand, but she was fairly certain that neither Booth nor Brennan would consider it tactful or graceful. Catching the heat in Booth's eyes as he looked at Brennan, Angela thought that Booth might not care if their exit was less than tactful as long as they were gone but Brennan would be sure to kill someone and Angela didn't like the idea of her head being on the chopping block. Throwing Booth a look of apology, Angela settled into a chair.

Brennan quietly went into the kitchen to get plates and napkins for everyone. She braced both arms against the counter leaned her head forward and let out a loud sigh. She wanted to scream in frustration and she needed just a minute before she could return to the living room and be polite. If she went back out there right now, she would march straight over, open the door and tell them all to get out. Concentrating on taking deep, calming breaths, Brennan didn't know anyone was behind her until two arms slid around her waist drawing her back against a very familiar hard chest. _Not helping, Booth._ Before she could verbalize a protest, she felt his lips closing around her earlobe and tugging. Her eyes closed and she moaned, leaning back into him more heavily. His lips moved on to her neck and she tilted her head to give him better access, both momentarily forgetting that if they wanted to keep their developing relationship quiet, they really shouldn't be making out in the kitchen with a bunch of geniuses in the next room. They were pulled back from the brink of saying to Hell with it and heading to the bedroom by a throat being cleared and Wendell asking, "Anything I can do to help?"

Wendell walked into Booth's apartment and knew instantly that it had been a really bad idea for them to all show up here unannounced. Booth and Dr. Brennan were both very tousled and he seriously doubted that they had interrupted a wrestling match between the two. But it was obvious that they had interrupted something. With a sigh, Wendell took a seat on the sofa with Booth and started a conversation about hockey. In just a few minutes, Wendell noticed Booth's attention wandering as he looked around the room for Brennan. Not seeing her, he immediately stood and went in search of her. The others continued with the several conversations in progress until Angela noticed that Booth and Brennan were both absent. When Wendell realized that Angela was going to look for the partners, he motioned her to keep her seat and offered to go. He just smiled and headed for the kitchen when she narrowed her eyes at him_. God only knows what they're doing and at least I have some experience at keeping my mouth shut about what those two get up to. _He found them in the kitchen in what could only be described as an intimate situation. He decided to put his hard earned grad student lessons to use and pretended he hadn't seen a thing. When he spoke, they both stiffened, but to his surprise, they didn't pull apart. Booth's arms tightened around Brennan's waist and she leaned more heavily against him. Booth dropped his forehead to rest on her shoulder and she turned her head to drop a soft kiss on his temple. It was an embrace so obviously full of love from both parties that Wendell felt himself blushing at having witnessed it. Without releasing Brennan, Booth lifted his head and looked at Wendell.

"Thanks, Wendell. But I think we've got it," he said with amusement. As Wendell turned to leave the room, Booth called him back. "Could you make sure they give us a few minutes?" Wendell nodded, his chest swelling with pride at being chosen as the goalie by his hockey hero.

With a sigh, Brennan tried to step out of Booth's arms but they only tightened, pulling her even closer. "Booth," she breathed huskily.

"Hmm?" His lips were back on her neck.

"You have to stop that. We have guests." He paused in his nibbling for a second. He really liked hearing her say we have guests as in we are together as in we are a couple. Hearing her say the other part, however, not so much. He continued with his nibbling.

"Booth, stop it," she insisted more forcefully, working her hands under his where they rested on her abdomen and breaking his hold, she turned to face him. "We'll just have to wait until they leave," she teased him.

He smiled back and took a step closer deliberately crowding her into the counter behind her. He placed his hands on the counter trapping her in his arms. Her eyes widened as he bent his head pressing their foreheads together. "They have one hour," his voice said that he was deadly serious.

"Or what?" she questioned, eyes narrowing.

"Or I have to show them that it is time for them to leave." He moved closer, pressing her more firmly into the counter. His hands were now running up and down her back.

"How?" she demanded, leaning back slightly, eyes narrowing even further.

"Oh, I don't know. I might be forced to do something like this." One of his hands suddenly snaked into her hair and pulled her head back just roughly enough to make her breath catch while the other hand rested on her hip, holding her steady. His head lowered and he caught her lips in one of the steamiest, sexiest kisses she had ever received. When he finally pulled back she was surprised that she wasn't a big pile of melted goo on the floor.

Brennan looked at him assessingly, trying to determine if he was serious about his threat. His eyes were black as coal and he was standing closely enough to her that she could feel that he would be very embarrassed if he walked back into the living room right now. _He meant it_. He leaned in and kissed her lightly and gently. "Come on, Bones. You're a certified genius, surely you can figure out how to get rid of the squint squad," he said with laughter in his voice.

Her eyes flew to his in shock. "Me? Why do I have to do it?"

Laughing openly, he answered, "Because if I do it, I'll probably just shoot someone and you wouldn't want that, would you?"

"Fine," she snapped, pushing him away, "I'll do it." She wasn't really mad but it wouldn't hurt him to think she was. He would have to learn that he couldn't always have everything his way. About to flounce out the kitchen door, she turned to find him leaning against the counter arms crossed, eyebrow raised, watching her with a wide smile. Well damn, he hadn't bought the mad act for a second. She grinned back, "Just so you know, Booth, I'm not doing this because you threatened to kiss me in front of everyone." His eyebrow raised in question. "I'm doing it because I know you'll kiss me when they're gone." She blew him a kiss and was gone his laughter following her.

Cam had been a little uncomfortable since their arrival at Booth's apartment. She was fine with the fact that she and Booth were no longer together. In fact, she felt like it had been a huge mistake for them to ever be together that last time. Booth had obviously had feelings for Brennan even then. Cam, being the competitive person that she was didn't want to examine her reasons for getting together with Booth this last time too closely. She was pretty sure that she wouldn't like what she saw. Things had been really tense between her and Dr. Brennan at first and Cam knew that most of that was her own fault. She had not liked it at all when Booth had made it clear that professionally he backed Dr. Brennan 100%. She had liked it even less when he had chosen to spend his free time with Dr. Brennan rather than her even though they were sleeping together. But things had gotten better with her and Brennan. They weren't BFF's, but they were colleagues who respected each other and friends of a sort.

For the last few months, Cam had wanted to smack Booth and Brennan and tell them to just go ahead and jump each other already. My God, she had been the one to pull Sweets in to keep Brennan from sleeping with Jared and breaking Booth's heart. She really didn't know what it was going to take for the two of them to realize that they loved each other and do something about it. She sure hoped it was soon. Cam looked up as Brennan reentered the room with paper plates and napkins, passing them out with everyone helping themselves to pizza. Booth came back in a few minutes later and sat down next to Brennan. Cam's eyebrows lifted at how closely he was sitting to Brennan. They lifted even higher when Booth reached over, snagged Brennan's drink, took a sip and handed it back to her and neither seemed to notice. When Brennan sat back and practically snuggled into Booth's side, Cam's eyebrows met her hairline. She looked at Angela questioningly. Angela grinned and nodded. Cam motioned toward the door with her head and Angela nodded. Rounding everyone up didn't take long (except for Hodgins, he had been in lala land since they got there and it took a good five minutes to get his attention) and the front door closed behind the squints 52 minutes after their arrival.

As soon as the front door closed, Booth turned the lock, walked to the counter and turned off both of their cell phones, walked over and laid the house phone off of the hook and walked over to the sofa, holding his hand out to her in invitation. She took his hand. He pulled her to her feet and led her down the hallway and into his bedroom closing the door behind them.


	13. Chapter 13

**Please give me some feedback on this chapter as it's the first time I've attempted to write such intimate material.**

**Disclaimer: They do not belong to me but now I **_**know**_** they wish they did.**

_Behind the closed bedroom door_

As soon as the door closed behind them, Booth pulled Brennan tightly to him and wrapped his arms around her waist. He leaned down and nuzzled her hair away from her neck and licked a trail from her collar bone to right below her ear, stopping to pay special attention to that area with his lips and teeth at her moan. As his teeth scraped over a particularly sensitive spot, her back arched and her breasts were crushed against his chest. Her hips pushed forward rolling against his erection and he stifled a groan. God, he was so hard that he hurt, but now that he had her in his bedroom without the possibility of interruption, he found that he was in no hurry. Oh, yes, he was going to take her to bed and make her forget every other man that had ever touched her and show her that he was the only man that would ever touch her again, but he was going to savor the process. He slowly began to walk her backwards toward the bed.

Brennan felt heat shoot through her whole body the instant Booth pulled her against him. She shivered and moaned when he began to nuzzle and then kiss her neck. Her eyes drifted shut, head tilting to the side to give him better access. Her hands had worked their way to his shoulders and her grip tightened as she felt him guiding her backward until her legs bumped into the bed. Instead of lowering her to the bed, she felt Booth's big hands slowly move up her back, tunnel into her hair and tilt her face up for his kiss. And what a kiss it was. She felt her knees turn to jelly and her stomach tighten as he bent and caught her lower lip with his teeth, tugging lightly then letting go and running his tongue over the same spot his teeth had just nipped. She gasped and his tongue leisurely entered her mouth, thoroughly exploring every inch of it. For the first time in her life, Brennan lost the ability to think and became a mass of throbbing sensation as she wrapped herself more tightly around Booth.

Booth couldn't believe how hot it made him to just hold Brennan and kiss her like this, like she belonged to him. He shuddered as she pressed herself closer, her hips grazing his ever hardening erection. Wrapping her arms more tightly around his neck, she pulled his head down, deepening the kiss as her tongue invaded his mouth. She rubbed her breasts against his chest and even through all the layers of clothing separating them; he could feel her nipples tighten in response to the contact. Booth suddenly found both hands clenching her waist tightly, fighting the urge to throw her onto the bed behind her and immediately bury himself in her warmth with everything he had. _Okay, maybe it was_ _time to speed things up. _Booth closed his eyes and lost himself in sensation as their lips met over and over again, teeth and tongues coming into play by both. He trailed his fingers from either side of her waist to the buttons on her blouse. He started from the bottom, slowly sliding each button from its hole and trailing his fingers over each centimeter of flesh as it was revealed. Over her soft, toned abdomen, up and over the lush swell of her firm breasts, tracing the outline of her bra on her soft flesh and repeatedly brushing her already tight nipples, until he undid the last button and pushed the blouse from her shoulders. It fell to the floor, unnoticed. His hands worked their way down her almost bare back until he encountered her bra and he quickly undid the clasp.

When Brennan felt her bra loosen, she became frantic to have their bare chests pressed together. Her hands left Booth's neck and grabbed the hem of his t-shirt quickly tugging it upward, nothing slow or subtle about her movements. Reluctantly pulling his mouth from hers, Booth stepped back far enough to raise his arms and allowed her to tug the t-shirt over his head and toss it aside. She shrugged the bra straps from her shoulders and let it fall. Booth took a second to just gaze at the beautiful sight before him and then her arms pulled him back in. His own arms curving around her back with his hands resting on her shoulder blades, he pulled her fully against him and thought he was going to spontaneously combust. _To hell with going slow. Let's get this show on the road. _Booth's mouth swept in and he took Brennan's lips in a kiss of absolute possession, one that said you are my woman and don't you forget it. Brennan didn't care what the kisses said as long as he kept giving her ones exactly like that. He fisted one hand in her hair lightly tugging her head back to expose her throat, lips moving across her jaw line to her ear and then lower, stopping to feast and suck on the tendon in the side of her neck. His other hand splayed across her lower back right at the top of her buttocks, holding her steady as he slid a muscled thigh between hers. They both shuddered at the more intimate contact. She could feel from the size of his hard on as he ground it against her thigh that he was really enjoying their foreplay. He could feel her warm wet center pressed against his thigh and it almost sent him over the edge. Both of his hands went to her hips, urging them to move, to ride his thigh. They both groaned loudly. He pulled her higher onto his thigh, her toes barely touching the floor, leaving her body fully supported only by his thigh. With every movement of her hips, her nipples grazed his chest causing his own to tighten in response. Brennan's head fell back with a long moan. Booth's open mouth immediately latched onto her throat, the hand in her hair pulling her head back just roughly enough to make her shudder in response. He slowed the movement of her hips and reached for the button and zipper on her pants. She allowed him to undo both but stopped him when he started to slip his hand inside.

Brennan's hands had been clutching at Booth's biceps but now they began to move over his well developed chest, fingers softly trailing from his collarbone to the top of his pants and back up stopping to investigate any areas of interest she found along the way. Booth moaned low in his throat every time she passed over a certain area so she concentrated her attention there (only for the purpose of scientific research, of course. You must repeatedly cause the same reaction using the same stimuli to verify that it is, indeed, a reaction and not just a random occurrence). As his lips trailed down her chest, she pushed him back lightly with a wicked smile and a look in her eyes that said, _my turn_. Booth swallowed hard.

Brennan gazed into Booth's eyes for a long minute, and then very, very slowly ran her eyes down his body, her expression saying that she liked what she saw. The return journey was just as slow, her gaze finally coming to rest on his chest, after pausing a long moment to consider the size of the penis that was causing the tenting in his pants. She reached out and began to trace his well-defined muscles with one finger. She loved the feel of his body under her hands, the smooth, warm skin covering rock hard muscles. She raised her eyes back to his and held his gaze as her other hand went to his belt buckle deftly flicked it open then ever so slowly lowered the zipper on his jeans. _After all he had to be uncomfortable with_ _something that big confined behind the denim_. He bit his lip and closed his eyes as her movements caused her hand to lightly brush the length of his erection. His breathing was heavy but so was hers, both of them so turned on that they were practically panting. His breathing stopped and he heard a low animalistic sound of need work its way up his throat and escape as she slipped that oh so clever hand into his underwear and closed it around his straining erection. Her hand was soft and warm against him and he shuddered as she began to move it lightly up and down his length.

Her hand slipped inside his underwear and brushed against that most intimate part of him. He was huge and hard as steel and soft as velvet at the same time she mused as her fingers trailed lightly over him from tip to base. Her hand encircled him, or tried to but didn't quite make it, and she softly began to stroke his straining penis. The needy sound he made deep in his throat made her breath catch and sent a flood of moisture to her throbbing core, saturating already damp panties. Booth's hands were busy roaming over her torso, weighing and shaping her breasts over and over again, thumbs flicking across pebble hard nipples. His lips dropped kisses on her face, neck, throat, anywhere he could reach. Brennan leaned forward and placed her lips on his chest, leaving a trail of wet open mouthed kisses from one nipple to the other, pausing to lick, suck and lightly bite his nipples. Booth growled and she felt his hand work into the front of her pants and carelessly brush her skimpy underwear aside immediately zeroing in on and stroking her clitoris once, twice and suddenly she was hovering on the edge of orgasm, but he seemed to sense that and pulled his hand back slightly. She moaned and tipped her hips suggestively.

Brennan had kissed her way down to Booth's belly button and was working her way lower when he stopped her with a hand on the back of her head and a simple "No". She looked up and instinctively knew that he didn't want her to put her mouth on him right now because, he wanted to be inside her when he came. She was okay with that. With a wicked grin, she started at his belly button and ran a wet trail with her tongue all the way up to his neck, loving the slightly salty taste this left on her tongue. Every muscle in his body clenched in desire when she laid the flat of her tongue right above his belly button and licked up to his neck, like you would lick a melting ice cream cone before it could drip. She worked her way up his neck where she paused to take a deep breath and just savor the scent of Booth. God, she loved the way he smelled, not necessarily the cologne he wore, just the man smell that was Booth. She kissed her way up his neck and tugged on his earlobe with her teeth. His left hand, which had been smoothing up and down her back, tightened and he groaned and then froze into absolute stillness as he heard her whisper, "I love you, Seeley Booth."

Booth pulled back far enough to see her face. She gazed back at him, eyes clear and honest. Booth had known, in his heart that she loved him and he hadn't realized how badly he needed to hear the words until this second. He pulled her into a kiss more intimate than any kiss he had ever given another woman. It was a vow, an affirmation of their love and the future they would build together. Brennan felt Booth pull back from that fabulous kiss and her eyelids slowly fluttered opened. She found herself suspended in mid-air above the bed, held there with just the strength of Booth's arms. Her eyes drifted up to meet his. He gave her the most beautiful smile she had ever seen. "I love you, Temperence Brennan." She had heard him say it in the hospital when he thought she was asleep and she had thought that was enough. She now knew that she had really, really needed him to declare himself knowing that she heard him. She gave him the most beautiful smile that _he_ had ever seen and whispered, "I know."

He lowered them both onto the bed, his body fully covering hers, kissing her passionately. She was writhing and twisting against him and he thought if she brushed against him one more time that he was going to cum before getting his pants off. He set about solving that by rising up on his knees beside her. He quickly reached down, grabbed the waistband of her pants, tugged them off and looked at all that wet, pink softness that lay before him. He reached down and lightly ran a finger up then down her glistening center. Her hips bucked toward him urgently. Her lower body was throbbing almost painfully with the need for release.

"Please, Booth," she whimpered.

"Please, what, Baby?" he asked around a grin as he leaned down and licked a nipple then suckled her. She reached down and guided his hand to where she wanted it the most. Looking deeply into his eyes, she asked once more, "Please."

He could deny her nothing. He could tell how close she was from the tension invading her body. He could take the edge off for her. He slipped one finger inside her tight warmth to find her dripping wet. Her hips arched off the bed and she grabbed Booth's shoulders pulling him down toward her locking her mouth to his. She sucked his tongue into her mouth and he almost came then and there. _God, he needed to be inside her_. But not before he gave her some relief. He slipped another finger into her tight channel and used his thumb to flick back and forth across her clit while pumping his fingers in and out. She screamed his name as she came for him. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen or heard.

He was out of his pants before she stopped vibrating and inside her before she caught her breath and by then she didn't care about breathing. Her inner walls barely stretched enough to accommodate him and the sensation was indescribably erotic to both of them. When he was buried to the hilt, he paused and gazed down into eyes turned a deep, dark blue with arousal, eyelids at half mast, although she was struggling valiantly to keep them open and meet his gaze. She made a whimpering sound, bit her lip and thrust her hips upward against him, silently begging for more. He looked down at something he had begun to fear that he would never see other than in his dreams and felt love for this woman wash over him. He reached out and cupped her cheek, giving her a tender smile.

"I love you, Bones."

"I love you, too, Booth. Do you think that we could get on with this now?" she asked, suddenly clenching and relaxing her internal muscles. Booth's laugh at her question turned into a loud groan as his neglected hard on added its demand for them to get on with it.

"I think that could be arranged," he replied as he bent to her mouth, nipping at her lips and then slipping his tongue inside when they parted. At the same time, he very slowly withdrew almost completely from her tight warmth, then pushed back inside just as slowly. She gasped, thrusting her hips upward trying to make him increase his pace. Booth knew that he wouldn't last long at an increased pace, not with the way each slow stoke sent fire shooting from his cock to the rest of his body, and he was determined to make this last. Brennan had other ideas.

She felt like her entire body was one big raw nerve throbbing with arousal. She was very close to her second orgasm and, dammit, she wanted it now. Looking up into eyes almost black with desire for her, she decided to make him speed things up. Booth saw her eyes narrow and then take on a wicked glint. Her hand snaked to the back of his neck, pulling his head in closer as her lips closed around his tongue, sucking it as deeply as possible into her mouth. At the same time, her legs went around his waist, ankles locking at the small of his back, pulling his hips downward and pushing hers upward. They both let out loud groans.

_Screw going slow. Bones was a genius; she knew what she was doing_. Booth raised his upper body above her, supporting his weight on his hands. He increased the speed and power of his thrusts. They both shuddered. Without breaking their rhythm, he suddenly reached behind his back and unlocked her ankles, bringing her left leg around and raising it to rest on his shoulder. This new position allowed him to penetrate her so deeply that he was barely able to hold off his orgasm. Feeling the tightening in his groin, familiar and at the same time so much more intense that anything he had ever experienced, he looked down at Brennan. Eyes closed, head thrown back, neck arched, mouth partially open emitting moans and panting breaths, she was the very picture of a woman on the verge of a very satisfying orgasm. And that was good, because seeing her lying under him like that tore away his last shred of restraint.

Brennan was lost to everything but the sensations originating from her center and spreading outward, wave after wave of throbbing pleasure building to something she knew that she had never experienced before. Booth pulled her leg even higher onto his shoulder and thrust into her so hard and deep that Brennan's whole body arched toward him. He had to fight to keep his own eyes from closing but he wanted to see her face when she came with him inside her for the first time. Eyes locked on her face, he maintained his rhythm, her hips rocking and creating extra friction. Once. Twice. On the third thrust, her eyes flew open and her body bowed up with tension. On the fourth thrust, she screamed his name and clamped down on his erection so tightly that it was almost painful. She shuddered and her eyes closed as she literally saw fireworks explode behind her lids. Seeing her face as she came and feeling her milk him threw Booth over the edge. He managed two more deep, hard thrusts and his orgasm was being drawn from the tips of his toes as he emptied himself into her.


	14. Chapter 14

They lay entwined in twisted sheets, sweaty bodies wrapped around each other, exchanging lazy open mouthed kisses and caresses as their breathing slowly returned to normal. Booth was very happy and perfectly content. It was a feeling that he didn't think that he had ever experienced, not the level of contentment he felt at the moment and certainly not combined with the level of happiness currently humming through him. Making love with Brennan had been more perfect than he could ever have dreamed. And he had dreamed about it over the last 4 years. Often. Almost nightly for the last 2 years. Even the realistic dreams that he had experienced in the hospital didn't hold a candle to the real thing. As Booth joined their bodies for the first time, he had suddenly realized that Brennan wasn't the only one who was going to learn something about making love with someone as special as they were to each other.

He learned that no one else had ever made him feel as intensely, both physically and emotionally, as this woman and he knew no one ever would. He learned that he would rather be making love with Bones than doing anything else in the world. _Okay, it's not like he hadn't already had that thought, he just hadn't_ _known for sure_. Now he did. He learned that she was an incredibly sensuous and vocal lover, whose moans, groans and pleas for more could send him completely out of control. The mind blowing orgasm he had just experienced was proof of that. He learned that he would be perfectly happy to keep her right where she was, in his arms and in his bed, for the next 50 years or so. And he learned that he believed, whole heartedly, that she returned his love and that she was as committed as he to making a future for them. With an indescribable look of joy on his face, he pulled her to him in a tight hug.

Brennan burrowed into Booth's side, her head coming to rest on his still sweaty chest. She was almost boneless with relaxation and more sexually sated than she had ever been in her life. _So, that's what making love is like. I think I_ _could force myself to get used to it_, she thought as a smile of contentment drifted across her face.

"What?" questioned Booth, catching sight of the smile, while lazily stroking her hair.

"I was just thinking that I could get used to that," she answered honestly, absently tracing patterns on his chest.

Booth chuckled, then suddenly levered himself onto his elbow leaning over her. Gazing directly into her eyes and stroking her hair away from her face, he assured her, "No, Baby, I don't think anybody could ever get used to something that intense. I think that in twenty years it will still be like we're making love for the first time." Before she could answer, he leaned down and gave her a slow, deep, thorough kiss that left her breathless as he pulled back. She blinked up at him for a moment then smiled.

"I accept your logic, but, as a scientist, I must insist on further experimentation to turn your hypothesis into a theory." Her smile turned into a throaty chuckle at the look of confusion on his face. Her hands slid up his chest and around his neck, pulling his head down. She leaned up and whispered two words in his ear. "Prove it." He did.

An hour and a half later, they were once again lying snuggled together tangled in even messier sheets. Booth was stroking Brennan's bare back as her head rested on his chest and he was about to doze off when he felt her moving away from him. His eyes popped open and his arms instinctively closed around her to keep her near.

"Where are you going?"

"Relax, Booth. I'm thirsty. I'm only going to the kitchen to get some water," she informed him with a kiss on the cheek and a pat on the arm then looked at him curiously when his arms didn't open and allow her to pull away.

"I'll go," he said softly, "I've waited so long to actually get you in my bed that I'm finding I don't want to let you up, even for a second," he finished with a grin and a quick kiss on the lips. He slid out of the bed and was startled by the piercing wolf whistle Brennan let out. He turned his head to find her gazing admiringly at his bare buttocks. He almost bent double in laughter that Dr. Temperence Brennan would be able to make the sound in the first place. Then there was surprise that she knew what it meant and more surprise that she would let herself go enough to actually make the _lewd_ sound. That was just _so not_ Bones. She smiled at his laughter and rolled onto her back, propping both hands behind her head. He automatically pulled on his discarded boxers and headed for the kitchen, still chuckling.

She frowned when he blocked her lovely view. As he walked out of the room, she found her thoughts drifting back to their lovemaking. Brennan had always viewed sex as a natural biological function. Your body needed the physical release provided by sex to function at its optimal level. For her, it had been as simple as that. Her primary criteria for choosing partners had been their physical attractiveness. She had never before chosen a partner with a view to them being together long term. She was with someone as long as it was beneficial and sent them on their way when this was no longer the case. She wasn't ashamed of this. She wasn't particularly proud of it either. She had just never really had strong enough feelings for anyone to put forth the effort of letting them get to know the real her. Superficial coupling had worked for her. Until Booth.

He had stormed into her life and refused to leave. He had slowly and carefully pushed his way in one inch at a time. So insidiously creeping in that by the time she realized how firmly entrenched in every aspect of her life that he was, it was too late to remove him. She'd hated him a little bit then. Because he showed her that he cared about her in a million little ways. And because he made her care about him and other people, but mostly about him. She had cared much more than a partner should for longer than she wanted to think about.

If she was honest with herself, she had to admit that she had lusted after him since he had pushed her against the wall at the shooting range on the Cleo Eller case, but she had been able to deal with that. When she found herself admiring his professionalism and trying to emulate his behavior to enhance her interpersonal relations, it became a little harder to separate and compartmentalize the lust and the admiration but she had done it. When she saw how tender and caring he was with his son, he had stolen a little piece of her heart and it became harder still.

Until she had suddenly looked up one day and realized that Booth had become a thief. After so easily taking the first piece of her heart, he had regularly sneaked under her guard and grabbed piece after piece until she was no longer the keeper of her own heart. He was. She loved him and from the moment she admitted it to herself, she also admitted that she could no longer compartmentalize the love and the lust and had concentrated her efforts on telling herself that it was a really, really bad idea to flat out seduce him or, barring that, just jump him at a crime scene, or the diner, or the SUV, or her office (_OK I think you get the idea)._

That was over a year ago and since then she found herself falling more and more in love. She loved everything about him, his cocky attitude, his charm smile (_and yes, I know that he uses it to manipulate me_ _but, hey, could you say no to that smile? I didn't think so, so don't judge me,_ _please_), his playful nature, his protective nature, his passion, his compassion. She loved how he took care of her even when she tried to make him stop. But most of all she loved that he encouraged her to be Bones. Not Dr. Temperence Brennan, world renowned anthropologist and best selling writer, not Tempe, the poor little abandoned girl who spent terrible times in foster care, not Brennan who could kick ass and take names, just….his Bones. He seemed to understand that the _real_ her was a sum of the parts, made up of bits and pieces of all the forms of Temperence Brennan and she hadn't trusted anyone enough to let them see that person since she was a child. Instead of pushing her, he had simply bided his time until she had trusted him enough and felt safe enough with him to let Bones come out and play.

It was one of the hardest things that Brennan had ever done. She wouldn't have felt more exposed if she had stripped down to her skin in the middle of the FBI building. She had felt like everyone was looking at her and seeing every secret that she had ever tried to hide. Until she looked at Booth and saw his warm, brown gaze locked on her. Just that one look told her that he would never find her wanting, that he would never judge her at all, that she was one of his favorite people in the world and that he would never leave her. Then, she had felt like someone who had stepped out of a deep, dark cave and lifted her face toward the sun for the first time. It was a good feeling.

Not every aspect of her relationship with Booth gave her the warm fuzzies. Over the years she had been angered by his taunting, his stubborn refusal to be swayed from a course of action once it was decided and his reliance on his "gut", all scientific evidence being to the contrary. She had yelled with and at him. She had even, upon occasion, been so infuriated with him that she could have literally torn him apart with her bare hands and actually felt better afterward. She hadn't been that angry with him in a long time. Ever since shortly after Cam joined their team to be exact.

Brennan had been shocked at the sudden appearance of this woman who seemed to think that she had some sort of authority over Brennan and her team. It was laughable. Except that it wasn't funny. It was a giant pissing contest that Brennan was ill equipped to handle. At first, Brennan had bitterly resented Cam's obvious attempt's to sway her team to her side with the cutesy little nicknames and the witty banter. She was insulted that Cam didn't seem to think that she was capable of doing her job without her constant supervision and interference. She was amused when Cam threatened her job. That really was laughable. _Trust me, medical examiners are much easier to replace than world renowned forensic_ _anthropologists _(there is, after all, only one Dr. Temperence Brennan) and Brennan knew that the board of the directors at the Jeffersonian would never have backed Cam on it. Still, she was more than a little pissed that Cam played that card. She was gratified and deeply touched when Angela made it clear that the team backed Brennan all the way. Despite all that, Brennan thought that she and Cam had reached a compromise and they rocked along without really getting in each other's way. Until Cam went after something that Brennan knew, even then, that she couldn't lose. Booth.

Brennan had been aware that Booth and Cam had known each other for a long time and that they'd had some type of romantic relationship, although she had no desire to know the details. She had seen Cam's attempts to sway Booth to her view of the Jeffersonian without Brennan. She had felt confident that Booth would back her and she had been right. She had no idea what Booth had said to Cam other than sharing that Brennan had been a foster child, but it had seemed to work. Things were fairly calm. Until Cam decided to apply her own personal interpretation of evidence to a case, totally disregarding the truth. Brennan had been appalled at Cam's suggestion and seriously questioned her trust worthiness. That, however, was not the big issue that cropped up for Brennan during the case.

Brennan had caught the caress Cam had given Booth out of the corner of her eye. Her eyes narrowed in disbelief but it was clear to her from everyone's reactions that her suspicions were correct (_Come on, people, I am a genius_). _Booth and Cam were sleeping together. No, that is not possible. Booth would never sleep with my boss_. _Apparently, he would_, she thought as he hustled her off to the diner, his discomfort bringing her a great deal of pleasure.

Brennan didn't feel like she knew Cam well enough to accurately predict her actions in any given circumstances but she wasn't really that surprised at Cam's behavior. She had noticed the flirting and the frequent reminisces on Cams part. But _Booth_? She had thought that she knew Booth well enough to predict that this would never happen, but she was obviously wrong. And that made her angry. Not the being wrong part. Well, yeah, the being wrong part did piss her off, just not nearly as much as the Booth sleeping with Cam part. She was livid and hurt and felt a deep sense of betrayal, but she had no idea why she felt this way.

She had known that Booth had renewed his sexual relationship with Rebecca and that didn't really bother her. _Rebecca was no threat_. Her eyes widened at the thought and she understood exactly why she was so upset. She was feeling territorial. _But why?_ She had no claim on Booth outside their partnership. Certainly they were both free to pursue sexual liaisons with other people, she was generally very open about her sex life though Booth was more prudish and did not want to hear about Brennan's affairs or talk about his own. _So, why are you_ _so upset?_ She didn't know. _Yes, you do._ Okay, yes, she did know. Booth had brought his sex life into _their _space. For the first time since the formation of their partnership, the possibility existed for someone else to have a claim on his time and attention in a place that she considered him exclusively hers and that was unacceptable. She was shocked by this thought, but it was hard (and pointless) to argue with yourself, so she accepted it. _Is that the only reason you're so mad?_ She knew that wasn't the only reason but the others were harder to admit, even to herself. _Isn't there an official rule somewhere about sleeping with your_ _partner's boss?_ She didn't know, but she thought that if there wasn't then there damn well should be.

_So, it is only because she's your boss?_ Yes and no. As irrational as it was, she felt like Booth was choosing Cam over her and wondered how much she could count on his future support and that scared her and, in turn, increased her anger. And, come on, Cam was her boss and that was just wrong on too many levels to get into. How would Booth like it if she was sleeping with Cullen? _Whoa, let's just stop this train of thought right here. We DO NOT want to_ _go there_. No, she really, really didn't want to go there. _So what's the no part of_ _the boss question? What is it that you're so diligently avoiding admitting?_ Booth didn't trust her. He was hiding his affair with Cam, in essence lying to her. She couldn't believe the depth of betrayal she felt at this admission. He was, at this very moment, steering her into the diner in such an obvious attempt to distract her that even she could see through it. The only logical conclusion that she could reach from the evidence she had was that _Booth did not trust her_. She knew from the wave of fear and panic that hit her with this thought that Booth was much more important to her than a partner, even more important than a friend and that distraction proved long enough for her to calm down enough not to say something she would regret later.

She sat across the table from Booth calmly sipping her coffee while inside she was a seething mass of emotions. Booth was making small talk and acting just a little too jovial for it to be genuine. Brennan didn't know what to do. Should she confront him about the situation? What if she did confront him and he got angry enough not to be her partner anymore? What if he left her? What would she do without Booth in her life, always nagging her to eat and sleep and dragging her out of the lab when he decided it was time to go regardless of what she thought? But, did she really want him to stay with her as a partner and friend if everything was a pretense on his part? If he didn't really mean any of the things that he was always saying to her? No, she didn't, if he was just pretending she couldn't allow herself to become even more attached to him. She opened her mouth to ask about him and Cam just as Cam sat down in the chair beside her.

During that conversation, she watched Booth closely and was reassured. He wasn't the type of man to lure someone into friendship under false pretenses. She was also reassured that he refused to go along with Cam's little plan. By the time they cleared up the case and Hodgins was being led away by the men in black, she had made her decision. Her feelings were her problem and she would just have to deal with them. She was not willing to lose Booth. She would just have to work harder to gain his trust. He would share his secrets with her when he was ready.

She sat up, propping her back against the headboard and tucked the sheet loosely across her breasts, idly wondering what was taking Booth so long. With a sigh, she went back to her musings.

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A/N I apologize that in my efforts to reload everything, this chapter got left out. Hope it makes more sense now.


	15. Chapter 15

Booth made his way to the kitchen with a light step. He grabbed two bottles of water from the fridge and set them on the counter. He started rummaging in the fridge looking for leftover pizza, and then remembered Wendell grabbing the last slice. _Crap,_ he was starving and there was nothing in his fridge. He started back down the hall to ask Brennan what kind of take out she wanted when he heard an insistent knock on his door. Spotting his gym bag from the hospital behind the couch where it had been dropped upon their arrival home and never made it to the bedroom, he pulled out a pair of sweat pants and quickly pulled them on over his boxers.

"Angela, that had better not be you," he muttered as he opened the door. It wasn't Angela.

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Booth hadn't made her I want to kill him angry in a long time, but he had hurt her. First with that damn line of his. He acted like he thought that she would attack him as soon as she knew he wasn't with Cam anymore. Yes, she had frequently thought about initiating a sexual encounter with him, but she had been able to control herself and he couldn't possibly know about any of her fantasies, she reassured herself. He couldn't have made it clearer that he didn't think of her that way and she didn't know whether to be mortified or offended. She chose to pretend to agree with him. What else could she do? She had been seriously considering discussing her developing feelings with him. After that little chat, she would have cut her own tongue out with dull toenail clippers before she said a word. So, they had rocked on as partners and friends.

As odd as it sounded the second time that Booth had hurt her had been about Sully. When Booth shot the clown, Brennan was shocked and concerned. She knew that the Epps situation had been hard on Booth, but she had never expected to see him lose control enough to discharge his weapon on a busy street because he was irritated. She had been frustrated when she had to go to Florida without Booth and unimpressed when Tim Sullivan introduced himself. They had worked okay together and Brennan had even made an extra effort because she didn't want Booth to worry about how she was doing with an agent that wasn't him and stress himself even more. She just wanted her partner back ASAP. She and Sully developing a physical relationship had just sort of happened. Brennan liked Sully or she wouldn't have slept with him, but his feelings went much deeper as she discovered when he asked her to sail away with him. Even though she asked Angela for advice, she never really had any intention of leaving. When she told Booth about the invitation, he immediately told her to go and she felt pain lance through her. She couldn't breathe. Booth had promised that he would never leave her but here he was, telling her to leave him. Throwing her away, abandoning her as effectively as if he were the one to walk away. She fought to get herself under control and heard his words as he continued to speak. Her panic began to subside. Booth wanted her to go with Sully because he wanted her to be happy. She simply smiled at him. Her decision was already made.

He almost broke her heart when he just allowed Zack, _her_ _sweet, mind-boggling intelligent, naïve, even more oblivious than she was Zach_, to traipse off to Iraq without even trying to stop him. She knew that it was irrational and unfair to blame Booth. Her adult side told her that Zach was an adult and he had made the choice to enter a war zone. Her little girl side told her that yet someone else whom she loved had abandoned her and that the person she trusted most in the world could have stopped it but had chosen not to. She could hardly bear to look at Booth without expressing the anger, pain and fear she felt so she kept their contact to a minimum, making up excuses not to go out into the field with him and not seeing him outside of work. She worried about Zach's safety from the moment he said goodbye until she looked up and saw him standing in the lab. The thought, _This must be what it feels like when a parent has a lost child returned to them_ went through her head as she went to him and threw her arms around him, trying to convey her affection and her gratitude for his safe return in that hug. Brennan's aversion to Booth's company evaporated and they picked up where they had left.

He _did _break her heart when he stepped in front of a bullet meant for her. She had been dancing and singing on a stage, ignoring everyone in the audience but Booth, whose attention was completely focused on her. He was grinning from ear to ear and that encouraged her to act even sillier just to see his reaction. Seconds later, she had killed a woman and had her hands pressed tightly pressed to his chest desperately trying to stem the flow of blood from his chest wound, begging him to stay with her. She barely remembered shooting Pam. It had been an instinctive reaction to protect the man lying on the floor bleeding. She didn't feel guilty about it and knew that she would do it again without a second thought to protect Booth. She had ridden to the hospital with him in the ambulance, clinging to his hand and talking to him the whole way. With one look at her face, the emergency personnel hadn't even attempted to separate her from Booth, but the nurses stopped her as she tried to follow his stretcher into the emergency room and directed her to the waiting area. Lucky for them, she was still so shocked by tonight's events that she didn't argue.

The wait on any news about Booth's condition was agonizing but nothing could compare to the agony that she felt when that doctor calmly informed them that Booth was dead. _NO!!_ Her mind screamed. She didn't_, couldn't_, believe him, not until she saw it for herself. She demanded to see him over and over again becoming more and more agitated each time her request was denied. She could see her friends looking at her in concern and Angela approached, trying to hug her. Brennan moved away from the contact. She felt like she would shatter into a million pieces and never be able to put herself back together again if anyone touched her in kindness or caring right now. She vaguely remembered going back to her apartment with Angela. All she could clearly remember about that time was the feeling of his blood on her hands. She had showered for what seemed like hours scrubbing her hands until they were almost raw, but she still felt his blood on them. And she remembered the pain.

Pain and grief washed over her in debilitating waves so strong that she didn't even realize that she had fallen to the floor in the bathroom, still nude, sobbing. She didn't even hear Angela pleading with her to open the door, sobbing with her own grief and sympathy for her friend's suffering. She had finally come out and crawled into bed at Angela's insistence. But she was terrified to close her eyes, so she laid there and stared at the ceiling until Angela went to sleep, then got up, got dressed and went somewhere that had never failed to calm her.

She walked into the Jeffersonian oblivious to the guards startled glances at her less than immaculate appearance, bypassed her office and headed to the one place that she might find some peace. Limbo. If the Jeffersonian was Brennan's House of Reason (according to Booth) then limbo was her Fortress of Solitude. It was the place that she always came to when she was angry or frustrated or she just needed to work through something in her mind. Working to identify the bones in storage was so much second nature to her that she was able to focus on whatever was bothering her and make it easier to reach a logical solution to the problem. She found the whole process soothing. But not tonight. Tonight, she removed a bin of bones, placed them on one of the exam tables, opened the box and then just stared at them. She picked up a bone and looked at it. _Oh, God, I don't remember the name for this bone_. She gently placed the femur back in the bin and picked up a scapula. She didn't know the name for this bone either. She didn't even realize that tears were streaming down her face as she sank to the floor with the scapula still clutched in her hands.

Booth was dead and the pain was unbearable, especially for someone who had so ruthlessly avoided emotionally involvement with anyone for so many years. She felt like her body couldn't contain the rioting emotions that it might just fly apart. And at the moment, she was okay with that if it would make the pain stop. But she knew it wouldn't. The only thing that would stop the pain is Booth walking through the door and putting his arms around her. But that would never happen again. She curled into a ball on the floor, sobbing brokenly at the thought. Life as she had known it had ceased to be the instant Pam's bullet connected with Booth's chest and nothing would ever be the same again. She would never have the chance to tell him how much she cared about him, that she loved him, that she was _in love_ with him. She had known that the instant she saw him on that dirty floor in the club, gasping for breath, and clutching her hand, gaze locked with hers. She could only hope that he had seen the love in her eyes. _Oh, God_, _she would never again see his beautiful brown eyes crinkling as he smiled at her. Never again hear his voice teasing her out of a bad mood or yell at her for putting herself in danger. Never again see him smirk at her as he was explaining some reference to pop culture that she didn't get. Never again see the special charm smile that he reserved only for her. No, that was unacceptable_, her heart rebelled. She pushed herself off the floor and stumbled out the door, blinded by the still falling tears, not even seeing the discarded scapula on the floor.

Angela told her later that she awoke three hours later and went to check on Brennan, panicking when she had searched the apartment with no sign of her. She called Hodgins for help. He tried to calm Angela while trying to fight his own sense of foreboding. He finally managed to calm her down enough to ask where Brennan might have gone. They uttered the answer together, "The lab." Twenty minutes later, Angela, Hodgins and Zack ran into the lab. They had already spoken to one of the guards and knew that Brennan was in the building so they spread out to search for her.

Angela found her in Limbo. She was sitting on the floor, back propped against the wall, knees up draw and clutching something tightly to her chest. Her eyes were red and almost swollen together while silent tears continued to track down her cheeks. Brennan saw Angela come in and approach her as if she were some kind of wounded animal. She could see the concern and fear in Angela's eyes, she just couldn't motivate herself to do anything about it. Angela moved out of Brennan's line of sight and sat down beside her, her movements slow and careful as if she was afraid of startling her. From her new position, Angela could make out what Brennan had clutched so tightly in her arms. It was a framed 8x10 photo of her and Booth taken at one of the charity events hosted by the Jeffersonian. Brennan was dressed in a strapless, black sheath with her hair pulled back into a chignon. Booth was dressed in a tux. They were sitting at the table reserved for their group, Booth's arm thrown across the back of Brennan's chair as he leaned in toward her. Brennan's face was tipped toward Booth and to the casual observer; it appeared that he was leaning in to kiss her. Angela had been in charge of organizing photos from the event for some public brochures and made Brennan a copy of the photo. It had been on the desk in her office ever since. Angela gently placed an arm around Brennan's shoulder and gently tried to pull the photo away because she could see where the frame was cutting into the soft skin of Brennan' s forearms. Brennan didn't move except to tighten her grip on the picture.

"Oh, sweetie," whispered Angela, putting her other arm around Brennan and hugging her tightly, compassionate tears running down her own face. Brennan sat stiffly in her embrace fixedly staring at the opposite wall, her face gaunt with pain and sadness, crying silently. She knew that she should try to reassure Angela that she was all right, but she was afraid that if she opened her mouth to utter those reassurance she would start screaming in pain and rage and never be able to stop. So, she sat silently drawing what comfort she could from Angela's presence. She didn't even flinch when Zach and Hodgins came running into the room, skidding to a stop and looking very concerned when they saw the sad state of the two women. Angela, Zack and Hodgins exchanged helpless looks. They didn't know what to do. To see someone that they all cared for so deeply in so much pain was heartbreaking to all three. To see the strongest person that any of them had ever met looking so fragile scared the crap out of all three. Brennan was their leader, their rudder; she kept them pointed in the right direction. She was the tall oak that never bent even in the fiercest of storms, striding through life taking everything that was thrown at her and remaining upright and strong. She wasn't strong now. She was a broken heap on the floor and the three others sent up heartfelt prayers that she wasn't broken beyond repair. Coming to some kind of decision, Angela stood. Brennan passively let Angela help her to her feet, but when she tried to lead her out of limbo, Brennan, without a word, jerked away and went to the bin of bones that she had put out earlier, still clutching the picture to her chest. She repeated this action at every attempt they made to get her to go home, irrationally clinging to the hope that being in her beloved Fortress of Solitude would give her some insight into how to deal with a life without Booth in it or at the very least a way to end the pain. Finally, they gave up and stopped bothering her.

Her recollections of the next few days were fuzzy. She knew that she was in limbo for several days working on the same set of bones (actually, Zach had removed the real skeleton and replaced it with one of their teaching skeletons to assure that no harm came to the other one and Brennan never noticed). She remembered that every time she had taken note of her surroundings that one of her friends was always there. Angela, Zack, Hodgins and even Cam had all put aside their own grief, shock and horror at Booth's death in their concern for her. They had stood as her guardians, silent sentries offering comfort and support and shielding her grief from prying eyes. She remembered the nightmares. They were always a repeat of what had happened at the Checkerbox until Booth grasped her hand. Then things changed. She was still trying to stem the blood gushing out of his chest and begging him to stay with her when he looked up her and asked, "Why, Bones? Why did you let me take a bullet meant for you?" Before she could recover from shock at the question and form an answer, he died in her arms. When she inevitably fell asleep from sheer physical exhaustion, she jerked awake bathed in a cold sweat either screaming or sobbing. She'd had the same dream every single night for over three months and still did when she was stressed or worried about something. The thing she remembered most clearly about those days was how she left limbo.

She was exhausted. She wasn't eating. She wasn't sleeping for more than a three hours in any twenty-four hour period. She wasn't speaking to anyone. She was camped out in limbo and showed no signs of being ready to leave it anytime soon. She was on the verge of physical and emotional collapse and the other squints knew they had to do something. They just couldn't come to an agreement on what the correct course of action was. Cam wanted to knock her out with a light sedative. She argued that Brennan obviously needed the rest and she could be moved out of limbo while she was out when the other three expressed their horror at the thought of drugging her and vehemently vetoed that little plan. Zack stubbornly insisted that they just wait Dr. Brennan out. Angela patted him on the head, rolled her eyes and vetoed that one. Although Cam and Zach were both a bit insulted that their plans had been so easily dismissed, they were both still willing to help. Angela and Hodgins argued over their individual plans for an hour until Hodgins finally snapped.

"Angela, I can't just pick her up and carry her out of here against her will," he snapped.

"Why not? She's obviously not thinking straight and she's too exhausted to fight you. It will work, Jack," she snapped right back.

"Maybe, but how will she feel about it and us when she starts thinking straight again?" Hodgins' question gave Angela pause.

"Logic would dictate that she would understand that we acted in her own best interests when she was unable to compentently make those decisions. It is illogical to assume that she would be angry with us for helping her." Zack was unable to distinguish rhetorical questions and happily answered this one.

"There's nothing logical about this situation, Zach." Now Hodgins was snapping at Zach. Rubbing a hand over his face in fatigue and frustration he apologized for snapping and turned to Angela. "Ange, at least give my way a chance," he pleaded.

"And if it doesn't work?" Her folded arms and tone of voice indicated that she thought his plan had little to no chance of success. He looked her straight in the eye and answered in a firm voice.

"Then we do it your way."

"Deal."

Brennan had been vaguely aware that they were all in the room with her arguing about something but didn't know or care about what. She started a little when Hodgins walked over to the chair where she was seated and dropped down onto his haunches directly in front of her, close but not quite touching. She looked at him and actually seemed to see him, he thought in surprise. Then she looked away. Taking a deep breath, he put his plan into action.

"Dr. B?" She turned her head and stared at him.

"Do you trust me?" he asked softly. She seemed to be considering his question.

"Yes." It was the first word she had spoken in five days and her voice was gravelly from disuse.

"Would you agree that we," he waved a finger to indicate everyone in the room, "are all family?" Her attention briefly flitted over the other people in the room before returning to him. His blue eyes never wavered from her face. She took a little longer to consider this question.

"Yes," she whispered.

"Then, please, Dr. B, let us _be_ your family. Let us help you," he said earnestly, holding out his hand, palm up,toward her and patiently waiting for her to make a decision. Brennan was nearly catatonic with fatigue and couldn't summons the will to logically reason everything out right now. So she simply thought about the questions Hodgins had asked. _Yes,_ she trusted everyone in the room. She might not always like Cam, but she had come to trust and even respect her over the last year. _Yes_, the people in this room were her family. _Could she let them be her family?_ They already were. The best kind of family. The kind you get to choose for yourself. Brennan slowly extended her hand and placed it in his. His hand closed around hers and he gave it a reassuring squeeze, smiling gently at her.

"Will you let us take you home now?"

"Yes." Hodgins stood and helped Brennan to her feet. When he started to move away, she clutched his hand tightly.

"Come on, let's get you home." He continued to smile at her and applied gently pressure to her hand to let her know that he wouldn't let go until she was ready. As they headed toward the exit from limbo, Brennan reached and grabbed Angela's hand. And that's how they left limbo and then the Jeffersonian. With Angela and Hodgins on either side of her, each holding a hand and Zach and Cam following a few steps behind, Brennan's chosen family took her home and put her to bed.


	16. Chapter 16

Brennan pulled her knees to her chest and rested her forehead on them. Wrapping her arms around her stomach, she drew in deep shuddering breaths and tried to calm herself. Even the memories of those dark days sent pain lancing through her. She had spent them so lost in emotional pain and despair that nothing else had really penetrated. Except the guilt. God, the guilt was slowly eating away at her very soul. Pam had been aiming at her and she should be the one lying in the morgue, not him. Parker would never see his father again and it was all her fault. Losing Booth had almost broken her in a way that abandonment by her biological family, spending hellish years in foster care and even being held prisoner and threatened daily with death by scum in Guatemala hadn't come close to doing. She honestly didn't think she would have ever recovered from it if he had really been dead and that brought her to something that she did her best to never, ever think about.

Angela had been nagging her for days about going to Booths memorial service and Brennan always refused. She spouted off a lot of crap that even she didn't believe about funeral being pointless rituals. The truth was that she didn't think that she could stand by and watch them put Booth into that cold, dark hole without collapsing in grief for all the world to see. Sweets had taunted her about her feelings for Booth and she had finally given in to Angela's pleadings when she played the be there for me card.

Standing graveside with her little family, Brennan felt the grief rising inside her, so she retreated behind anger. She knew that she was talking too loudly and people were looking at her but couldn't make herself stop. And then had come the moment that had brought her incredible joy and, at the same time, unbelievable pain. Two men were rolling around on the ground, grappling for a gun. At first, she was outraged that they would interrupt this ceremony to honor Booth with such behavior. Until she got a good look at the combatants. The older one, she didn't recognize. She peered more closely at the younger one because for one split second there she had thought it was….Booth. But no, that was impossible, Booth was inside the casket right in front of her. At that moment, the casket tipped onto its side spilling its contents practically at Brennan's feet as the struggling men rolled into its pedestal. She could clearly see that there was no body inside that casket. Logically, she had to conclude that the man rolling around on the ground _was _Booth and he was in danger. On auto pilot she picked up the first thing she could put her hands on and went to his aid. When the threat had been neutralized, Booth hopped up and stood grinning at her. The joy and relief washing over her almost brought her to her knees but were suddenly overshadowed by something else that she couldn't control and she punched him.

She knew that everyone thought the punch had been because she hadn't known he was alive. It wasn't. That punch was a release of the anger that she had felt for him being an overprotective, alpha-male idiot and stepping in front of a bullet meant for her, for dying when he had sworn that he would never leave her. As that wave of anger ebbed, she was hit by the deeper implications of him standing in front of her looking as if he expected a warm greeting. He had let her believe that he was dead. The sense of betrayal she felt at this realization took her breath away. Knowing her history, her fear of abandonment, he had to have known what losing him would do to her. _How could you do that to me, Booth_? Her heart screamed. Pain now mixed with betrayal. He had let her suffer through weeks of the worst emotional hell imaginable and he could have prevented all of her suffering with one phone call. _No matter what he said, you didn't do that to_ _people you care about_. Anger, sadness and a soul sucking weariness joined the emotions already swirling inside her and she couldn't answer his cheerful greeting. At that moment, she was incapable of speech. She turned and walked away wondering if she would ever be able to fully forgive him for this. She still wasn't sure of the answer to that question.

His attempts to placate her fell on deaf ears. He had broken her trust. He had broken her heart. He had broken _her_. That was something an 'I'm sorry' couldn't fix. She understood that he had though that she knew he wasn't dead but she couldn't understand his complacency in leaving it up to the FBI to do the notification. Brennan knew that in the same situation she would have expended her last breath to get to Booth to reassure him that she was okay. It hurt her deeply that he obviously didn't feel the same way. Two weeks ago, she had admitted to herself that she was in love with this man. This man that she trusted with her life on a daily basis and was willing to trust with her heart, but now her logical, rational side was telling her that she shouldn't trust him at all. That he had betrayed her, broken all the rules of friendship and partnership and couldn't possibly have any feelings for her to do that. Unable to listen to her inner voice any longer, she had gone to his house to confront him. And found him in the bathtub.

She had maintained a tight rein on her emotions while expressing her displeasure with his actions. Until he stood up. All wet and naked. Yes, she had been angry but she wasn't blind (or dead) and her mouth had actually watered at the sight of all those hard, sculpted muscles (and everything else) on display. She had made some inane comment about a towel and gotten out of there before she just said to hell with it and crawled into the tub with him. She left his house more confused than when she entered. How could she have so much distust and anger toward him and still want to be with him, want him in her life? She was finding "normal people" emotions confusing and exhausting and was thankful that she had been without them for so long. _That's it_ she thought stopping in her tracks. She knew that she would never survive much less recover from another betrayal by Booth. The only logical course of action was to distance herself from him emotionally, rebuilding her walls and then he could never hurt her like that again. Nodding at her thoughts, she headed home, relieved to at least have a plan of action. And her little plan worked. Until Zach.

_Zach is Gormagon's apprentice_. No matter how many times this repeated in her head, she found herself unable to believe it. _Not my Zach. I just got him back_. _I can't lose him again_. She didn't truly believe it even after Zach's confirmation. Logically, she knew that it was true. But her heart didn't belive it until they were all sitting around a table at the Jeffersonian examining a box of Zach's things. She had looked around at her sad, battered, betrayed family and suddenly realized that she was responsible for Zach's actions. She was his teacher, his mentor. She should have noticed that something was not right and helped him but she hadn't and now he lay in the hospital seriously injured and would likely be incarcerated for the rest of his life, all because she hadn't done her job. She had never even given him a gift she thought sadly as she watched the others reminisce over the objects in the box. Suddenly, she had to get out of this room. Booth followed her, of course, and she weakly allowed herself to lean in and draw comfort from his presence. _No more_ she told herself. She couldn't continue to allow people into her heart. It had been so battered and bruised over the course of the last few months that it ached constantly and she had reached the limits of her pain tolerance. She only knew of one way to make it stop. She redoubled her efforts to rebuild her walls and eradicate emotion from her life.

That was easier said than done. She saw Booth look at her in surprise when she turned down his invitation for coffee. He looked suspicious when she declined dinner. He looked worried when he tried to hustle her out of the lab one night and she stubbornly refused to go. She didn't want to hurt him but she really couldn't worry about hurting his feelings when it was all she could do to hold herself together and get through each day. The next day she saw him talking to Cam, Hodgins, Angela and Wendell individually and she panicked. _What if they_ _told him how she had reacted to his death? _She needn't have worried. Family didn't do that to each other and Wendell didn't know anything so she was safe.

That night, he showed up in her office insisting on taking her to dinner. She politely declined and he finally went away. Only to show up 30 minutes later with take out. After dinner, she headed to limbo only to find him right behind her. And he refused to leave. He sat quietly on a stool in limbo all night while she worked on remains, only leaving in time to go home and get ready for work the next day. And so it continued. He didn't push her to talk about what was bothering her or interfere in her work, but he refused to let her shut him out. Every time she turned around, he was there and she was finding it frustrating to say the least. If she wouldn't go out and eat with him, he brought food to her. If she wouldn't leave work and spent the night in limbo, so did he. For the first few days she just let things slide, sure that he would give in to physical exhaustion and at least leave her in peace at night. He didn't and she finally lost patience with him, shouting for him to go away and leave her alone. She didn't notice she was crying until he walked over, tipped up her chin and wiped away her tears. Looking directly into her eyes he gave her the answer to her demand that he go away. No.

With that answer, she made an important discovery. Rebuilt walls are never as strong as the original ones. They always have stress points or gaps and all it takes is one stone shifting to bring them tumbling down. Her walls would never again be able to protect her heart and it was all Booth's fault. She practically threw herself into his arms, crying out her pain and rage at his death and resurrection and her grief at the loss of Zach, such a brilliant young man who had made one bad choice and would pay for it for the rest of his life. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against him tightly. When he saw that her tears might continue for a while, he simply picked her up and strode to the couch, sitting down with her in his lap. He urged her head to his shoulder and stroked her hair, all the while murmuring soothing little noises until she quieted. Before he could ask her if she was ready to talk about it, she was asleep in his arms. They awoke the next morning lying full length on the couch wrapped in each others arms. She had never felt more safe or content and knew that she was in very big trouble.


	17. Chapter 17

**Thank you for reading and taking the time to follow my story.**

**Disclaimer: Alas, not mine, but they wish they were. **

Brennan knew then that she had to make some decisions. She was a very logical, rational person who felt that her emotions had been controlling her, in essence, making her out of control and she had to find some way of getting that control back, of being in charge of her own life again. She had to admit to herself that she hadn't fully forgiven Booth, not for his death, but for letting her believe that he was dead. She knew that Sweets had made the decision that she not be told and she knew why, despite Sweets protests to the contrary and she still hadn't figured out an adequate punishment for Sweets short of physical injury but was sure that she would eventually come up with something. One thing was for sure, she wasn't just going to forget about it. The problem that she was running into was that her heart didn't seem to care that her super logical brain was insisting that Booth had betrayed her. It told her that the only thing that mattered was keeping Booth in her life. Whereas, before Booth, she would simply have walked away from anyone whom she felt had betrayed her (or pushed them away), she found that she simply could not do it this time. After many hours of soul searching, she came to four conclusions. 1) She loved Booth. 2) She was in love with Booth. 3) She needed Booth in her life. 4) She wanted Booth in her bed.

She set about to subtly let him know that she was interested in their relationship moving to a more intimate level. She couldn't just announce her feelings and intentions. After all, he had drawn that damn line and he had to be the one to take the first step across it. Apparently, subtle was not her forte because Booth was either oblivious to her moves or,worse, he backed off. He had always been flirty and touchy with her. Oh, not inappropriately touchy. Just physically demonstrative with his hand to the small of her back, his guy hugs (_snort, like I really believed that_), always little pats and touches. And the flirting lately had seemed even more intimate, until she flirted back. Then he backpedaled treating it like a joke or ignoring it. Brennan found it confusing, so she began to frequently voice her list of accomplishments, trying to show him that she would be a suitable mate. He thought she was bragging and chastised her for it. She was at her wits end when Jared showed up.

_Where the hell is Booth with my water_? suddenly broke through her musings. With a smile, she thought of a way to hurry him up.

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Booth stared at his visitor in disbelief.

"Aren't you going to invite me in?" she asked with a big smile.

"No." It made Booth a little uncomfortable to be rude to anyone, especially a woman, but he knew that inviting this person in had the makings for a very, very bad situation. Crossing his arms across his chest, partially to signal his irritation and partially to block her view, he asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to check on you. I tried to call but you didn't answer your phone and I was worried, so I dropped by. Are you sure I can't come in?" Her smile turned flirtatious.

"Yes. Look…" his voice trailed off and his eyes widened as he heard a pouty, very sexy voice call from the bedroom.

"Booottthh, are you coming back to bed or should I start without you?" He gulped, she was using her Roxy voice and he really liked it. A lot.

Ignoring his visitor, he called back, "Yeah, Baby, I'm on my way." Turning back to the woman standing on his doorstep, he quietly said, "Goodnight," and firmly closed the door in her face. He grabbed the two bottles of water and headed to the bedroom to see if Roxy wanted to play.

He should have known it wouldn't be that easy, that he wouldn't just be able to slip back into bed without explaining why he was wearing pants. He really didn't want to explain anything right now because he had a feeling that Roxy would disappear at the mention of the uninvited visitor. Sure enough, Brennan glanced up as he entered the bedroom and frowned when she noticed the sweats. Her eyes and raised brow asked the question for her. With a sigh, he sat down on the bed and scooted over beside her, handing her a bottle of water.

"We had a visitor." He took a long drink of water. So did she.

"Don't tell me it was Angela again." So far, so good. She was still using the Roxy voice and smiling up at him flirtatiously.

"It wasn't Angela." Her eyes narrowed slightly and her smile dimmed a few watts at his evasion but Roxy was still with them.

"Then who was it, Booth?" No way to avoid such a direct question. Not that he would hide anything from her, but why did it have to be tonight, their first night together?

"Perotta."

"_What?_" Yep, Roxy was history. Brennan was back in full force and she was not happy. Booth grabbed her arm and pulled her back down as she tried to leave the bed. She sprawled across his lap and glared up at him.

"Bones, where are you going?" Booth was a little amused at her reaction but too smart to let her see it. He also knew where she was going but wanted to hear her admit it. _Hey, everyone needs a little ego boost now and then_.

"I'm going to talk to that blonde…..," her voice sputtered out because she was so angry at Perotta's gall that she couldn't think of a word bad enough to call her, and Brennan was not used to being at a loss for words. She was shocked as well. She had thought that her message at the hospital had been clear. Obviously not judging by Perotta's actions. Booth couldn't help the laughter that erupted at Brennan's sputtering. He didn't think he had ever seen her speechless. She, of course, was not amused by _his _amusement. She pulled away and scooted to the edge of the bed. Before she could place her feet on the floor, he pulled her right back and settled her against his chest, wrapping his arms around her. She stayed.

"I didn't even let her in," he informed her, tipping her chin up and looking into her eyes.

"She's going to be a problem for us, isn't she, Booth?" Brennan asked with a sigh.

"I don't know, Baby. Maybe." His gut said that Perotta was very definitely going to be a problem but he didn't want Brennan to worry about something that might not happen, so he didn't elaborate. "I don't know how to make it any clearer that I'm interested in you and only you." Brennan threw him a very wicked look and a suggestion.

"We could always just have sex in front of her." Booth choked on his water, having chosen that moment to take a large swallow. It took him almost a full minute to stop coughing and Brennan was shaking with laughter at his reaction. _She was kidding, right? _ It didn't matter, he decided looking down into her laughing face, because he would never allow _that_ to happen. As if reading his thoughts, she patted his chest and reassured him.

"Relax, Booth. I was just kidding." He did relax and laughed.

"Cute, Bones. I knew you didn't have exhibitionism tendencies," he teased taking another drink of water.

"I didn't say that, Booth. I said I was kidding about us having sex in front of Perotta." When this coughing fit passed, Booth recapped his water bottle and firmly set it aside. He looked down to find Brennan looking at him calmly. He told himself not to ask, but, of course, he did.

"So you're saying that you're an exhibitionist?" He needed clarification. He thought he would find the idea repugnant. To his surprise, it turned him on.

"Not in the strictest sense. But it can greatly enhance sexual arousal when you introduce the possibility of being overseen by others into the situation." Her hands and lips were now moving over his chest and he was really turned on, both by her words and her touch. Still, he didn't really see a chance of that happening with them.

"Sorry, Bones. Not gonna happen." His voice was low and raspy as her mouth moved to his lower chest and she added light licks with her tongue.

"Come on, Booth, can you honestly tell me that you've never thought about just pushing someone up against a wall in a public place and going at it regardless of who might see you?" Booth's eyes had drifted closed and his hand fisted in her hair when those soft kittenish licks reached his lower abdomen. It took him a moment to realize that she had stopped. His eyes flicked open and he saw that she was waiting for his answer. He couldn't lie to her.

"No, I can't tell you that," he admitted. Expecting him to deny that he had ever had such a thought, she was surprised to say the least.

"Really?" she practically purred. "Who?" Noting his look of discomfort at the question, she was now intrigued. He shook his head to indicate that he wasn't going to answer the question. She gave him a faintly pitying look and he was confused until he saw the glint in her eye. _Ah, Bones thought she could get information out of him using sex. Well, she was wrong. He had held out through_ _torture, he could take anything she could dish out_. His eyes narrowed in challenge. Her eyes narrowed in acceptance of that challenge.

Throwing him a teasing smile, she resumed her exploration of his abdomen making his muscles tense with quick nips of sharp little teeth then making him moan with long soothing strokes of her tongue. Booth lost the fight to keep his eyes open and immersed himself in sensation. He felt her tongue trail up to his chest and thoroughly explore every inch with lips, teeth and tongue, concentrating on his nipples and making him shudder with every nip. His breathing was fast and unsteady, his erection pulsating with every lick of her nimble tongue. His eyes opened when he felt her shift, just in time to see her raise up onto her knees and straddle him, deliberately rubbing against his aching erection. His hands shot out, grasping her hips and pulling her down more snugly as hips instinctively arched up, groaning loudly. Even through his sweats, he could feel her, hot and wet, against him. She pressed herself down harder and threw back her head, her groan joining his.

"Are you ready to tell me yet, Booth?" Her throaty voice drew his gaze from her lithe body to her gorgeous face. For about five seconds, he had no idea what she was talking about and she could read him well enough to recognize that. Her self-satisfied smile jogged his memory and he shook his head at her with a grin. Her eyes narrowed. "You will be." It was a promise and his eyes widened. He now had no doubt that he would tell her anything that she wanted to know, but it was sure going to be fun holding out as long as he could.

Keeping her eyes locked with his, she slowly leaned down until her already hard nipples were just barely grazing his chest, swaying side to side and keeping the contact light. His hands immediately reached for the luscious, full breasts swaying in front of him. They filled and slightly overflowed his hands. They were soft and firm at the same time. His hands kneaded her flesh as his thumbs grazed her nipples. When he suddenly pinched both nipples between his thumbs and forefingers and rolled them simaltaneously, she made a little whimpering sound and ground herself against him. He thought he was going to explode right then and there. She let him play for a few more seconds, then grabbed both of his wrists, pulling them up beside his head and holding them there.

Leaning forward, she continued to pin his wrists to the bed, as she pressed their chests together, her hard nipples grazing his and making both moan. Her hips were doing a tight swirl pattern and the ever changing direction of the friction against his penis was driving him insane. He was huge and hot and hard and the only thing he could think about was pushing his pants down (he didn't even care if they were off, just out of the way), picking up Bones and sitting her down on his aching hard on. His hips arched off the bed and his breath hissed between his teeth as she did a particularly stimulating little pattern with her hips at the same time she bit down, just hard enough to sting a little, where his shoulder meets his neck. She nipped her way up his neck to his earlobe and swirled her tongue inside then took his lobe between her teeth and bit down, not too gently.

"Are you ready to tell me yet, Booth?" It took a few seconds for the question to penetrate the fog of sexual desire surrounding them. He opened his eyes to look into hers and was pleased by what he saw. She was just as turned on as he was. Her face was flushed and damp tendrils of hair clung to her neck. There was a line of persperation across her upper lip and she was biting her bottom to suppress moans with every roll of her hips. "Well, Booth?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. _Well, what? Oh, yeah, Bones needs information. Well whatever_ _Bones needs Seeley Booth is your man._ She realized from his blank look that he had forgotten the question. She decided that she was distracting him too much and her hips stilled. He wanted to howl with the cessation of that hot, constant movement against his erection. She looked down at him assessingly. When she decided that he was lucid enough and compliant enough to answer the question, she leaned down and traced his upper, then lower lip with her tongue. His lips parted, inviting it in but she just teased him with flicks on the outside of and just inside his lips, not allowing the kiss to deepen. "Who did you want to fuck up against a wall in public, Booth?" His penis twitched at the question. He wasn't entirely sure what she was referring to, but their little challenge was starting to seep back in. Not that he cared about winning anymore. All he cared about was getting inside her as soon as possible.

"Roxy," he moaned. She looked down at him with an arched brow and a wicked smile that said Really? She rewarded his honesty by leaning in closer, meshing their mouths together, allowing tongues to tangle and slowly starting to move her hips again.

"Anyone else, Booth?" she demanded.

"You." He got the Really? look again. He also got rewarded with more hot, deep kisses.

"What did you want to do with Roxy, Booth?" She was using her Roxy voice.

_Oh, he had wanted to do all sorts of unmentionable things to Roxy, but only because it was Bones playing at being Roxy. The only thing that held him back was Cam. _But there was nothing holding him back now. With a wicked smile of his own, he decided that actions speak louder than words. He freed his wrists, rolled her over and proceeded to show her exactly what he had wanted to do to Roxy (_except for the wall, they would save that for later_).

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Agent Peyton Perotta walked away from Booth's front door hurt, angry and confused. She was hurt by the fact that he hadn't seemed pleased to see her. She had quickly scanned what she could see of the room behind him and was relieved not to see Dr. Brennan. She had expected him to invite her in and was upset that he had not. The anger had kicked in when that woman had yelled for him to come back to bed. Yes, she was upset that he was obviously with someone else, but she was angry that Booth and Dr. Brennan had obviously lied to her at the hospital that morning, trying to make her believe that they were together. Because that had definitely not been Dr. Brennan's voice coming from Booth's bedroom. She had to think about this she thought rubbing her forehead as she got into her car.

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An hour later, Booth and Brennan lay sweaty and sated, snuggled together in his bed. Brennan was wearing a victorious smile and Booth didn't even care. _So, he had held out less than 10 minutes with her particular brand of torture. So what? Any time she wanted to use those methods of gaining information on him, he was game. _


	18. Chapter 18

**This chapter takes place four weeks after the previous events. This got left out when I first posted. I apologize for any confusion or inconvenience.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

Four weeks later, Agent Perotta sat in her car across from Brennan's apartment building and was more confused than ever. After that late night visit to Booth's apartment, she had needed a couple of days to think about things and decide what to do. On the third day, she had driven by Booth's apartment thinking to pay him a visit during the day time when he was less likely to have female company. To her consternation, Dr. Brennan's car was there and had been there at every pass she had made for the next five days. She was ecstatic when Dr. Brennan's car was no longer there. She sat in her car primping for almost ten minutes then exited and made her way to Booth's apartment, knocking with a happy smile. He wasn't there. She repeated the process for the next three days with the same results. _Where was he?_ Her first thought was that he'd had some complications and was back in the hospital. But, no, she checked the hospitals and tried to subtly ask questions around the office. Either no one knew his whereabouts or no one was telling. Then her FBI training kicked in.

She followed Brennan. She knew that Brennan would know where Booth was and would eventually lead her to him. She just hadn't expected it to be that fast. She parked herself outside Brennan's apartment and two hours later had been shocked to see Brennan exit, followed by Booth. They had climbed into Brennan's car and driven to Booth's apartment. Perotta had expected Brennan to drop Booth off and leave. She didn't. They both entered the apartment and Perotta settled in for a long wait, looking forward to the visit she would have with Booth after Brennan's depature. She was in for a disappointment. Booth and Brennan had exited the apartment thirty minutes later, both carrying bulging gym bags and laughing, and returned to Brennan's apartment. Perotta was furious. _Obviously, Brennan was forcing Booth to stay with her and with his recent illness he felt like_ _he had no choice_, she told herself. Perotta mulled this thought over in her head and began to smile.

This was actually a good thing and could work in her favor. She refused to believe that Booth had a sexual relationship with Dr. Brennan. After all, she had obviously interrupted a tryst with some other woman on his first night home from the hospital. She wasn't worried about some nameless, faceless lay that Booth amused himself with. When they were finally together, she would make sure that she was the only woman in his life. And she was certain that spending so much time with Dr. Brennan would grate on Booth's nerves, reinforcing how annoying, rude and condescending she was. _By the time Booth was back at work, he_ _wouldn't be able to stomach the sight of Dr. Brennan and would request reassignment, _she told herself excitedly_._ So, she waited and watched.

Now, two weeks later, she watched as Brennan and Booth exited Brennan's car and walked up the steps to her apartment building. Perotta's eyes narrowed as the door opened outward just as the couple approached and Brennan stepped back pressing into Booth. Booth's hands came up to rest on either side of her waist and he dropped his head to speak directly into her ear. She laughed and turned her head toward him. Perotta's view was blocked as a large panel van cruised slowly down the street and when it cleared the couple had gone inside. Well, obviously spending time with Dr. Brennan wasn't driving Booth insane. And this genuinely confused Perotta. Dr. Brennan in small doses made almost everyone she knew crazy and she just couldn't understand Booth's attachment to the woman. She had briefly considered approaching Dr. Brennan and telling her about the woman in Booth's apartment his first night home but had immediately discarded the idea. _Why would Dr. Brennan care? They were just partners_. Despite the little trick they had played on her in the hospital, she refused to believe that they were anything more than partners. At that thought, she began to smile again. She knew just what to do.

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Booth and Brennan entered her apartment, having just returned from a visit with his neurosurgeon. The visit had gone surprisingly well. Brennan and the doctor had, apparently, decided to let bygones be bygones and neither had mentioned the laptop incident or the missing chart that had occurred in the hospital. Booth hid his amusement at their behavior, but he would not have brought up either incident for a million dollars.

Booth had been cleared to return to work with limitations. Which basically meant that he would be chained to a desk for the next two weeks. He had a follow up appointment in two weeks and the doctor expected to be able to release him to full duty status at that time. Booth was thrilled. He wasn't even complaining about desk duty. His first two weeks at home, he and Brennan hadn't been apart for more than an hour at a time. They had talked and laughed and dragged each other off to bed frequently. In fact, the majority of those first two weeks were spent in bed. The third week, Cam had called and explained that they had received a very important shipment of ancient remains from Peru and needed Dr. Brennan's expertiese. Brennan had been reluctant to leave Booth and return to work just yet. Cam had insisted that the remains needed to be examimed as soon as possible and, at Booth's insistence, Brennan had compromised. She had agreed to come in four hours a day Monday thru Friday but refused to work the weekend. Cam snapped up the offer. To Booth's surprise, those were exactly the hours that Brennan kept.

He had half way expected her to become immersed in her work and forget the time, remaining at work late into the night per her usual routine. She never did. She would always return to the apartment with a cheerful greeting and lunch. When Booth finally understood that she was telling him with her actions that he was more important to her than her work, his heart melted. If it was possible, he fell even more in love with her. The fourth week Booth knew that he didn't need anyone to be with him around the clock and was feeling selfish for keeping Brennan away from work, so he insisted that she return to the Jeffersonian full time. She did, after arguing and seeing that his mind was made up. But, she went in and left when everyone else did. No early mornings or late nights because although Brennan loved her work and felt that it was important, she loved Booth more and he was the most important thing in her life. She just wanted to spend every moment she could with him. Booth was very happy with all his alone time with Brennan but he was going a little stir crazy with nothing to do all day and was really looking forward to getting back to work.

But not as much as he was looking forward to tonight. Brennan had taken the day off to accompany him to his doctor's visit and Booth was touched by the gesture. They had both been happy that the docotor considered him "home free" in his recovery and about to leave the room when the doctor had nervously stepped in front of Booth and held out his hand, giving him a 'this is just between us men' look. Amused, Booth shook the doctors hand and felt a piece of paper being slipped into his. Without drawing Brennan's attention to it, Booth slipped the paper into his pocket and saw the doctors look of relief. Burning with curosity, Booth excused himself to the restroom at the earliest opportunity. He took the piece of paper out of his pocket, unfolded it and doubled over in laughter when he saw what it was. It was a note from the doctor written on a prescription pad and it said:

_Agent Booth, you may consider all previous restrictions on your sexual activity lifted. Please do not mention this to Dr. Brennan in my presence._

Thank You

It had taken Booth several minutes to control his amusement enough to return to Brennan and he had been wearing a goofy grin ever since. She had been shooting him curious looks ever since but hadn't directly asked what was so funny. They'd had an early dinner at Sids and returned to her apartment. Approaching the entrance, Brennan had been forced to stop and back up by people exiting. She had stiffened momentarily when she backed fully into him then relaxed, pressing closer. Booth had been thinking of what he planned on doing to her tonight (_hell, it was Friday, he had the whole weekend_) since he read that note in the bathroom and was already hard and aching when she pressed into him. He could see her surprise at his condition. Putting his hands on her waist, he pressed against her and leaned down to whisper the contents of the note into her ear. She laughed and turning her head, gave him a kiss that just about melted him on the spot.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Booth turned and pressed Brennan against the door, taking her lips in an open mouthed kiss and grinding himself against her. One hand went to her hair and the other to her breast. She moaned and arched into his hand drawing a groan from him. Her hands were already at work unbuttoning his shirt as her tongue tangled with his. He returned the favor and had her shirt unbuttoned in a flash. They pushed the shirts over each others shoulders at the same time. She arched her back rubbing her whole body against him and exposing her neck. Booth took that as an invitation and his lips latched onto her neck. He was beginning to wonder if they were going to make it to the bedroom. Then she whispered something in his ear. _Roxy wanted to play_. No way were they going to make it to the bedroom.


	19. Chapter 19

**Thanks for reading and please review**

**Disclaimer: Not mine. **

Deputy Director Sam Cullen stared at the agent seated on the other side of his desk impassively. He was trying to tamp down his amusement with her chosen topic of conversation enough not to laugh outright, but it was difficult. For his own entertainment, he asked, "Agent Perotta, would you please repeat that?"

"Yes. I think you should be aware that Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan have developed an intimate relationship." She actually grimaced as she said the words, almost unable to bring herself to voice them a second time. On Friday, she'd had the brilliant idea that if she could separate Booth and Dr. Brennan as partners that Booth would be completely free of Dr. Brennan. After all, they were only partners and if that aspect of their relationship was removed then there would be no need for them to see each other at all. Knowing that the FBI rules of conduct prohibited the partnering of couples, she had decided to use the little farce she had been fed in the hospital to her advantage. She had made this appointment and went over what she was going to say at least a couple of hundred times in her head. She had no intention of lying to Cullen. That would probably get her fired. _But, then again, she wouldn't have to_ she thought with a smile. They had given her all the ammunition that she needed to take care of this little problem.

Cullen leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled under his chin, trying to paste a thoughtful look on his face. Inside, amusement and exasperation struggled for supremacy. When Perotta had made this appointment, she told his secretary that she needed to discuss a personal matter with him. Honestly, his first thought was that she was pregnant (he was aware of her reputation) and he wondered why she didn't just file the change of status paperwork with personnel, but he decided to see her just in case that wasn't the reason for the appointment. His exasperation rose. If he let every agent that thought Booth was sleeping with his partner make an appointment to discuss it, he'd never get anything else done. _Hell, the line would extend from his office, which was on the top floor, down the stairwells and out the front door._ Amusement kicked exasperations butt. He wasn't quite sure why Perotta felt that it was her place to share this information with him but, hey, it was a slow day and he deserved to have some fun every once in a while. He pasted a look of concern on his face and leaned forward, resting his arms on the desk.

"Agent Perotta, I have to tell you that I find that hard to believe." She blinked at him. It had never occurred to her that he wouldn't immediately believe everything she told him. Biting her lip, she hastily rethought her strategy. She had intended to get her point across with innuendo without actually lying, but she now decided she would do whatever was necessary to split those two up. Cullen broke into her thoughts. "Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan's relationship is not standard FBI issue and is, admittedly, often misintrepreted by others. But it is _their _relationship, Agent Perotta." He gave her a stern look.

"I saw them kissing," she blurted out at the look he was giving her. Cullen barely managed to turn a snort into a cough. If he had a dollar for every time someone had tattled about Booth touching and yes, even kissing Dr. Brennan, he could retire a rich man. Hell, he had even seen them in the parking garage late one evening after a hard case. They had been walking to the SUV when Booth stopped, pulled Dr. Brennan into a tight hug and dropped a kiss on her hair. He merely arched a brow at Perotta. "On the mouth," she continued.

Cullen sat up a little straighter. _Really? That was new_. He needed to get to the bottom of this. Not because he actually intended to do anything about it, but it would be great gossip to take home to his wife. His wife had shown a great deal of interest in the evolving relationship of Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan since their daughter, Amy, had died. The truth of the matter was that Cullen and his wife felt a deep sense of gratitude for Booth and Brennan's actions during that time in their lives. Losing a child was something that no parent should ever have to live through but they, at least, had the comfort of knowing that Amy's death had saved a lot of other lives thanks to Booth and Brennan's actions. You could never repay that kind of gift.

After witnessing that tender scene in the garage, Cullen had watched Booth and Brennan closely, but had seen no real change in their behavior toward each other ( _Booth couldn't seem to keep his hands off of her but that had been going on a long time)_. And their crime solve rate continued to be the highest in the country. Actually it was the highest in the history of the FBI and he had a feeling that trying to separate those two would bring on a headache that not even the 14 grand in the betting pool would buy enough aspirin to get rid of. It wasn't even like he had a chance of winning the betting pool. His wife had found out about the pool and pitched a fit. Feeling like a scolded schoolboy, he had withdrawn his bet.

He had even thought about talking to Booth about the status of the relationship but found that he just didn't feel like it was any of his business. His sense of gratitude warred with his ingrained do things the FBI way mentality until he had finally consulted Carolyn Julian about the enforceability of the non-fraternazitation policy as it applied to outside contracters. She had smilingly informed him that the policy applied to FBI personnel only and could not be legally enforced with outside contracters. She had also informed him that he should let Agent Booth know this because she had a lot of money in the betting pool and Cullen had sworn her to secrecy before he would tell her why he needed the requested information. Armed with this new information, Cullen found his decision easy. As long as Booth and Dr. Brennan continued to work well together, they would remain partners, regardless of their personal relatioship.

"Where did you see Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan kissing on the lips, Agent Perotta?"

"In the hospital." This time Cullen couldn't hold back the snort. He highly doubted that Booth and Dr. Brennan had been making out in a public hospital.

"They were kissing on the lips in the hospital," Perotta insisted. She was starting to get a little agitated that this meeting was not going well for her. "And Dr. Brennan specifically told me that Booth was hers and she insulted me." Perotta didn't notice that she had dropped the Agent in front of Booth's name, but Cullen did.

Cullen laughed this time. _Hell, Dr. Brennan insulted people with astonishing regularity why should Perotta be an exception?_ As to her telling Perotta that Booth was hers, _well, wasn't he_? or Perotta could simply have misunderstood something that Brennan said in what Sweets called that awkwardly endearing way of hers. Cullen didn't really care as his amusement with the situation was fading fast and an uneasy feeling was creeping into his stomach. His face took on a stern expression and his eyes turned icy.

"Is that all, Agent Perotta?" Perotta could see this opportunity slipping away from her and suddenly decided to take this all the way.

"No, sir. She was at his apartment that night." Cullen's eyebrow rose.

"In his bed," she blurted in desperation.

"And how would you know that, Agent Perotta?" His voice had icicles dripping from it and his eyes said that she had better not lie to him.

"I..I..I went by to check on him." Her mouth was dry and she was finally realizing that this had been a really, really bad idea but she figured that she had already come too far to turn back now. "She was calling out for him to come back to bed. It was clearly a sexual situation, sir." Cullen was no longer uneasy, he was disgusted. _Just what did she hope to gain from coming to him with this tale?_

"So, you didn't actually see Dr. Brennan that night?" Cullen was certain that if anybody was in Booth's bed that night, it was Dr. Brennan. He was just asking to be certain of the facts and see if Perotta would lie to him.

"No, but I recognized her voice." And he had his answer. Yes, she would definitely lie to him. He had clearly seen it written on her face that she didn't believe Dr. Brennan was with Agent Booth that night. She was doing this to try to stir up trouble for them. _Why?_ Cullen was finished with this conversation and it showed in his face and voice.

"Agent Perotta, you appear to be taking an unnatural interest in something that is, frankly, none of your business. I'm going to have to recommend that you cease and desist immediately. In fact, consider that an order. Are we clear?" His voice said they better be.

"Yes, sir." Face blanching at the unexpected outcome of the meeting, Perotta shakily got to her feet and left the office.

Cullen sighed loudly and scrubbed his hands over his face in frustration. Damn, he had been planning on using Perotta as back up for Booth if a case needing Jeffersonian involvement came up before Booth's return. That was obviously out. They hadn't had such a case in the last four weeks and he could only hope that they wouldn't for another two. With a heavier sigh, he pick up the phone.

"Sweets, Cullen here. I need you to schedule an evaluation."

"Of course, it's an agent, Sweets."

"Yes, I definitely consider it an emergency. The sooner, the better."

"Agent Peyton Perotta. Yes, I'll get you her file today."

Hanging up the phone, Cullen debated on whether to inform Booth of Perotta's visit. Every agent who walked through his door expected whatever they discussed to remain private and he would lose a lot of trust and respect if he revealed what Perotta had told him. He decided to wait on Sweets' evaluation and take things from there.


	20. Chapter 20

FOUR DAYS LATER

Agent Perotta had been in a crappy mood since she had walked out of Sam Cullen's office four days ago. _How dare he speak to her like that?_ She just didn't understand what was wrong with the men in this building. All her life, she had been able to wrap men around her little finger. They would give her anything she wanted, do anything she wanted just to keep her happy. Some men had even left their wives for her. Of course, she then laughed at them and dumped them because they were obviously not trustworthy. Now, in the space of a month two men hadn't even taken her wishes into account. Booth by not taking her up on her open invitation to ask her out or in, she really didn't care which. But that would be taken care of just as soon as she got him away from Dr. Brennan. And she _would _get their partnership severed, no other woman kept Peyton Perotta from getting the man she wanted. And that brought her to the second man.

Sam Cullen had been unforgivably rude to her. Practically calling her a stalker and telling her to stay away from Booth and Dr. Brennan. _Like that was gonna happen _she thought with an internal snort. Well, Booth anyway, she was more than happy to stay away from Dr. Brennan. She had gone straight to Booth's office after leaving Cullen to welcome him back to work, but there were several other agents in his office with the same intent. Booth had essentially ignored her presence and that just made her more determined to find some way to get him away from his partner. She was obviously having a negative influence on him when it came to his interaction with other women. She had briefly considered just seducing Cullen and then getting him to do what she wanted, but realized that wouldn't work after their little meeting. She never even considered that she wouldn't be able to seduce him.

And she was now too pissed to ever sleep with the man. She could not freaking believe that he had sicced Dr. Lance Sweets, the FBI psychologist and profiler, on her. Sweets had called her on Monday afternoon and told her that she had to come in for an evaluation, but refused to tell her why. She had made an appointment for Tuesday with no intention of keeping it. She had called 30 minutes before her appointment and lied about being tied up at a crime scene. She had used a doctors appointment as her excuse on Wednesday and Dr. Sweets had personally called and given her an appointment time for today, warning her that if she failed to keep this appointment, _for any reason_, that her gun and badge would be pulled before the end of the day. So, now she was on her way to talk to that teenage twerp. But that was okay, she told herself as she slammed into the bathroom for some primping, she could handle Sweets. He was, after all, just a man. Ten minutes later, she took a deep breath and knocked on his door. At his call to enter, she put a concerned expression on her face and opened the door. _Show time._

"Good aftenoon, Agent Perotta." Sweets stood politely and gestured at the small sofa across from him, indicating that she should sit.

"Hello, Dr. Sweets." Giving him a small, nervous smile, she sat, crossed her legs and let her hands fidget with each other as if she was nervous but trying to hide it.

"Agent Perotta, do you know why you're here?" She looked up at him with a slightly furrowed brow and confused blue eyes.

"No, Dr. Sweets I don't. Why am I here?" She appeared to be telling the truth. Sweets steepled his fingers under his chin and sat back in his chair.

"I was asked to evaluate you after you meeting with Deputy Director Cullen. He had some concerns about your interest in Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan. Specifically about your interest in their relationship." Perotta quickly dropped her eyes to hide the fury building inside her. Sweets gave her a minute to respond. She didn't say anything or raise her head and he took both of these gestures as embarrassment.

"Agent Perotta, do you have anything to say about that?" Sweets' voice was calm and encouraging. Perotta had finally gotten control of her anger and when she looked back up she purposely appeared confused.

"I'm not sure what you want me to say, Dr. Sweets." _Poor thing_, thought Sweets, _she's embarrassed and confused about being here and is afraid to give me the wrong answer. _Sweets leaned forward, elbows resting on knees and hands hanging between spread knees. He smiled gently at her and she knew she had him.

"Okay, Agent Perotta, why don't we try this? What do you think you said to Director Cullen to make him think that you had an unnatural interest in Agent Booth?" He noted the slight stiffening at the question and then he saw the sheen of tears in her eyes. He automatically passed her a box of tissue.

"I'm not really sure, Dr. Sweets. I am aware of the non fraternatization policy for FBI employees and I was just trying to be a good agent," she said sadly. This did not really match up with the conversation that Cullen had relayed to him but maybe one or both of them had misintrepreted part of the conversation and this was a simple misunderstanding.

"Okay, Agent Perotta, why don't you start at the beginning of your conversation with Director Cullen and tell me what happened." He reached out and patted her knee. She was delighted. He was easier to manipulate than expected.

"I told Director Cullen that Dr. Brennan and Agent Booth had developed a sexual relationship and he didn't believe me." Sweets hid his smile behind his hand.

"Agent Perotta, I can assure you that Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan do not have a sexual relationship." She could not freaking believe that she was going to have to convince him of something that she didn't believe herself but she needed him to believe her. She had decided in the bathroom that Sweets could separate the partners as easily as Cullen and would be much easier to control.

"I saw them kissing in the hospital." She crossed her arms and a mutinous expression settled on her face. Sweets grinned at her condescendingly. Her eyes narrowed. "On the mouth." The grin was slipping. "With tongue."

"_What_?" Sweets bounded out of his chair, running his hand through his hair. "You saw them kissing in a public place? On the lips? With tongue?" _Not possible. No way could they be in a sexual relationship and him not pick up on it,_ he told himself. But, he hadn't had a session with either of them since Booth's surgery. He had to admit that it was possible. Looking at Perotta, he decided that she was telling the truth and this was not the time to have a meltdown about his favorite couple keeping secrets. This session was about her problems. It was time to get back on track.

"Then what happened?"

"Then I told him that Dr. Brennan said that Agent Booth was hers and that she insulted me and he laughed." Some of the insult she had felt at this reaction slipped through. Sweets wasn't surprised that Dr. Brennan had insulted her, that happened a lot.

"What were Dr. Brennan's exact words about Agent Booth?"

"She said, "Agent Booth is mine"." Well, that was pretty straightforward and direct and that described Dr. Brennan to a T.

"What happened with Director Cullen then?" Perotta shrugged and studied her nails.

"I told him that they were having sex at Booth's apartment that night."

"_What_?" Sweets was out of his chair and pacing. Getting himself under control more quickly this time, he turned back to Perotta.

"How do you know that, Agent Perotta?" Sweets eyed her closely.

"I saw them."

"_What_?" Sweets resumed his pacing. "You actually saw them having sex?" he questioned, seating himself, yet again. Perotta had stopped worrying about him catching on to her act the second time he jumped out of his chair and was just enjoying messing with him now.

"Not exactly."

"Then what, exactly, did you see, Agent Perotta?" Sweets was getting exasperated.

" I saw Booth open his door without a shirt on and heard a woman's voice yelling for him to come back to bed."

"And you're absolutely certain that it was Dr. Brennan that you heard?" He was observing her closely or he would have missed the sly little smile she gave with her answer.

"Yes. I'm sure." Sweets was sure that she was lying. _Man, she is good. She almost fooled me and I'm a trained psychologist. _ Pulling himself together, he put a stern expression on his face.

"Agent Perotta, what were you doing at Booth's apartment?"

"He didn't answer his phone, so I went by to make sure that he was okay." She was now very subtly flirting with him and if he hadn't already been onto her, he would have been flattered.

"And this was the same day that Dr. Brennan told you that Booth was hers?" He was beginning to get a clearer picture of that confrontation and he was beginning to think that Cullen had been right to send Perotta to see him.

"Yes." She didn't see any reason to lie about it. Not that she was above lying to Sweets, she just didn't think she would have to in order to get her way.

"Agent Perotta, would it be fair to say that when you and Agent Booth met, you were attracted to him on a sexual level?" Sweets decided to change tracks and see if that got him any more information. Perotta threw him a slightly flirtatious glance.

"Yes, that would be fair."

"And did you feel that Agent Booth returned your interest?"

"Of course," she purred as if there could be no question of a man being attracted to her. Sweets had to admit that he had questioned Booth about sexual tension between himself and Perotta, so her answer was justified. He was, however, a bit concerned about _how _she answered it.

"Agent Perotta, are you interested in pursing a relationship with Agent Booth?"

"I thought about it." Her eyes added until I met you. _Oh yeah, she was good_.

"And you think that it is okay for you to pursue Agent Booth if he is in a relationship with Dr. Brennan?" She shrugged, but he could tell she didn't like the question.

"Agent Perotta, are you currently in a relationship?" She glanced up quickly at the question to see if he was asking because he was interested in her himself. Then she gave him a big smile.

"I see several people occassionally." She reached over and patted his knee and her eyes said, play your cards right and you could be one of them. Sweets sat back in his chair to dislodge her hand and frowned to indicate that the behavior was inappropriate.

"Agent Perotta, I understand that Director Cullen has ordered you to stay away from Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan and I have to agree with him. Also, I'm going to need to see you three times a week to address your issues. I'm afraid that our time is up for today. Please make an appointment with my secretary on your way out." She jumped from the couch, threw him a glare and stalked out the door.

With a sigh, Sweets sat down at his desk and dialed his phone while he started making notes about the visit. Cullen had asked for a report immediately after this evaluation.

"Director Cullen. Dr. Sweets here."

"Yes, I just finished Agent Perotta's evaluation."

"No, sir, I don't think she'd coocoo as you so charmingly put it."

"I can't say with absolute certainty that she is not dangerous, but I don't think she is. It will take more than one visit to determine if she has an underlying pathology."

"Yes, sir, that was English."

"It means that she most likely has a personality disorder than a recognized mental illness."

"Yes, sir, I do think that Agent Booth should be informed."

"Yes, sir, I did tell her to stay away from Agent Booth and she was not thrilled."

"Should I inform Agent Booth of the situation?"

"Oh, okay. Goodbye, sir." Crap. He was hoping that Cullen would want him to talk to Booth, giving him a chance to feel out the current relationship between Booth and Dr. Brennan. Just because Perotta was a liar and possibly crazy didn't mean she was wrong.


	21. Chapter 21

"Honey, I'm home," Booth sang out as he entered her apartment at 6:10 pm. Brennan had dropped him off and picked him up for the last three days, but today, he had gotten the SUV back and they had come home separately.

"You're late," she called from the bedroom. He wandered down the hall to see what she was doing.

"I know. I'm sorry. The guys at the motor pool are slow as molasses." _Whoa._ The sight before him stopped him in his tracks. He leaned against the doorframe, crossed his arms and ankles and enjoyed the view. Brennan was down on her hands and knees looking for something under the bed, that phenonemal bottom in the air, clad in a pair of bule tap pants and matching bra. Her head was on the floor as she peered under the bed and her arm was making sweeping geatures as if she were feeling for something, making all sorts of interesting parts wiggle and sway. She glanced over at him, saw where his gaze was fixed and rolled her eyes at him before going back to her search. He smiled when her butt gave an extra little shimmy just for him. He pushed away from the doorframe, walked over and squatted down beside her.

"Whatcha doing, Bones?"

"I'm looking for something, Booth." Her tone added _obviously_. Surprised by her tone, he reached out and laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, what's wrong, Baby?" She turned her head to look at him and he could see tears shimmering in her eyes. She quickly sat up facing him, legs crossed, indian style. Before he could vocalize the question again, she answered.

"I can't find my mother's earrings." Her voice was a little choked up. He leaned forward, cupped her face in both hands and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips. He understood the snippiness now. Her mother's earring were very, very precious to her and she took good care of them. It wasn't like her to not know exactly where they were.

"Okay, now I can help you look. When did you last wear them?"

"Yesterday, Booth." _Little snippy there, Bones. It's not like it's my fault that you lost your mom's earrings._ His eyes widened. _Okay, maybe it's a little my fault._ She nodded that she, too, thought it was his fault.

"Exactly. If you hadn't pumped me as soon as we walked in the door, I would have had time to take them off and properly store them. You know that they always come off in bed." _Oh, what to address first about that statement_?

"It's jumped you, Bones, not pumped you (_but there had been quite a bit of pumping going on later_). And I did not jump you as soon as you walked in the door, plus.." She was incredulous and her voice was rising.

"Yes, you did, Booth. You started ripping my clothes off before the door was even closed. I found two buttons from my shirt in the hallway this morning." _Well, okay, maybe he had been a little eager, but he hadn't been the only one._

"I seem to recall you doing a little ripping of your own," he countered.

"You're right. It was my responsibility to make sure that they were secured. It wasn't your fault. It was mine." She brought he knees up to her chest and rested her head on them, her posture a picture of dejection. He reached over, picked her up and plopped her into his lap, attitude and all. Giving her a fierce hug and a kiss on the cheek, he just enjoyed them being together at the end of the day.

"It's not anybody's fault. It was an accident. Now tell me where you've already looked and let's get this search party started. It shouldn't take long to find them. After all, I am an FBI _Special _Agent." She snorted at his last statement, then turned and threw her arms around his neck. And he completely forgot about lost earrings, search parties and pretty much anything else that didn't involve a warm, nearly naked Bones in his arms. His mouth latched onto hers and he had her laid out on the floor in less than a minute.

Putting her hands on his chest, she used her arms to gain enough leverage to push him away and gasp, "Earrings now, me later." He latched right back onto her mouth. It was his way of negotiating and his offer was, _You now, earrings later._ Brennan had always been one to examine all sides of an argument, so she considered his point and decided to accept the offer. After all, it wasn't as if the earrings could leave the apartment unaided. They would still be there when they got around to looking for them.

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They found the earrings an hour later after searching less than 15 minutes. Brennan must have taken them off just as she was falling asleep and tried to lay them on the nightstand. They had fallen to the floor slightly behind it. She treated them like the crown jewels, taking them from Booth and almost reverently placing them in her jewelry chest. Booth watched with a soft smile.

An hour later, they were sitting on the sofa eating takeout and watching some mind numbingly boring (in Brennan's opinion) game show on TV. After finishing her food, Brennan sat her empty plate on the table and leaned her head against Booth's shoulder. Although he was still eating, he smiled down at her.

"How was your day?" she asked.

"It was….interesting." She sat upright and her eyes narrowed at his tone.

"I don't know what that means," He laughed and setting down his own plate, pulled her back up against him, urging her head back down on his shoulder.

"It means that Cullen came to see me today." Brennan popped back up.

"Why? Is something wrong?" Booth laughed and hauled her back to her previous position.

"Not really wrong. Seems that Perotta paid him a visit on Monday." Brennan was up again and looking at him with fear shining in her eyes.

"Did she tell him about us?" There was fear in her voice as well.

"Yep. She told him about the hospital and about you yelling for me to come back to bed that night." Booth laughed again as Brennan hid her face in her hands.

"It's not funny, Booth. What did he say? Is he going to split us up?" She whispered the questions through her spread fingers. Booth reached out and pulled her hands away from her face. Taking a firm hold on her chin, he tilted her head up and looked directly into her eyes.

"No, Baby, he's not going to split us up. He didn't even ask me if it was true. He said that it was our personal life and nobody else's business and that the FBI non-fraternization policy is unenforcable with outside contractors, which would be you." He finished with a light tap under her chin. Brennan was speechless. For about five seconds, then she let out a squeal worthy of Angela and launched herself at him. She ended up straddling his lap, nibbling his neck after peppering quick kisses of happiness all over his face. He knew he had to tell her the rest of it before he got completely distracted and carried her to bed.

"Bo…ah..," He let out a little moan and shifted underneath her as she hit a particularly sensitive spot. He cleared his throat and tried again.

"Bones?" She continued her ministrations to his neck and her hands had worked up under the hem of his t-shirt.

"Hmm?"

"Cullen said that he thought Perotta was expressing an unnatural interest in our relationship and he made her go to see Sweets." There was just a hint of glee in his voice as he announced the last. She stopped kissing him, collapsed against his chest and her whole body started shaking. He tipped up her chin and looked into laughing blue eyes.

"You think that's funny?" he asked with a raised eyebrow and a smile of his own.

"You don't?" she countered with a raised brow. _Well, yeah, he thought it was hilarious that Perotta had to see Sweets._ He had just expected Brennan to be more upset by the entire situation.

"You're not upset?" She sat up straighter and looked him directly in the face.

"Why would I be upset, Booth? It's not like she's dangerous. Is she?" Her face and tone were now serious.

"Cullen said Sweets doesn't think that she's dangerous, she's just…" His voice trailed off as he tried to think of a phrase that wouldn't get him in trouble.

"Hot for your bod?" Brennan shot him an impish smile and fluttered her eyelashes at him as she channeled her inner Angela.

"Bones, you have got to stop hanging out with Angela so much. It really freaks me out when you do that." And it did freak him out when her body was seemingly taken over by Angela's personality, especially when she was straddling his lap. She laughed and cupped his face in her palms.

"Booth, Perotta is a minor inconvenience. Nothing more. It stands to reason that Cullen will no longer be using her to work with the Jeffersonian." He nodded at her raised eyebrow then elaborated.

"Cullen also said that he ordered her to stay away from both of us." A grin of pure delight overtook her face. She leaned in and brushed her mouth over his.

"So what can she possibly do to us with those constraints in place?" She wrapped her arms around his neck and traced the seam of his lips with her tongue. He was having trouble holding onto his thoughts.

"Yeah, Baby, I guess you're right." His hands went to her waist and started sliding her t-shirt up to expose her belly and the fact that she hadn't put her bra back on earlier.

"Are we done talking about Perotta now?" She took her tongue out of his mouth long enough to ask the question. Gaining his feet, he held her against him as she wrapped her legs around his waist and started toward the bedroom.

"Absolutely." They were _so _done with Perotta, It was just too bad that she wasn't done with them.


	22. Chapter 22

Booth groggily groped for the ringing cell phone and flipped it open. "Hello."

"Booth?" Booth immediately recognized that the voice was Sam Cullen's and it was filled with amusement. He sat up in bed, swiping his hand across his face and trying to wake up.

"Yes, sir. What can I do for you?" Cullen was chuckling. Looking at the clock, Booth wondered what could possibly be so amusing at 3 in the morning but didn't ask.

"Nothing." _Huh?_ Now Booth was really confused.

"Sir, if you don't need me for something why did you call me at 3 am?" Booth knew his voice was a little curt but, _come on_. Cullen was openly laughing now.

"Booth, I _didn't_ call you. I called Dr. Brennan." Booth pulled the phone away from his ear and gave it a quick look. _Yep, it was Bones' phone_. With a sigh, he put the phone back to his ear. Well, he guessed that Cullen didn't have to ask him if they were sleeping together now, he already had his answer.

"Sir, did you need her for something?" Cullen's laughter stopped.

"Yeah, Booth, we've got a body and I need her team on it as soon as possible. I'll explain when she gets here. Should I send someone to pick her up at your place?"

"No. Just give me the address. I'll get her there." No way was he sending her out in the middle of the night with anyone but him.

"Booth, you haven't been cleared for field duty. I can't officially assign this case to you." Cullen's voice was firm, but not stern.

"Understood, sir. But, I'm not letting Bones go to a crime scene with a newbie at 3 in the morning." Booth's voice indicated that this was non-negotiable.

"Understood, Booth. I'll see you both here." Rattling off the address, Cullen hung up.

Booth looked over to see sleepy blue eyes blinking up at him. He couldn't resist leaning over and giving her a kiss, then patting her on the butt before getting out of bed to start dressing. "Up and at em, Bones. We have a crime scene to get to." She sat up, dragging the sheet with her to cover her nakedness.

"Booth, you're not cleared for field duty. You don't have to go. I can drive myself." He didn't bother to answer, except to continue dressing. She climbed out of bed and stretched sinuously, giving him an eyeful before winking at him and turning to pull on her own clothes.

"That was just mean, Bones," Booth whined, his hands paused in dressing himself, his eyes glued to her body as she slowly (very slowly) finished dressing.

"Why?" She was trying to appear innocent, but he could see the laughter in her eyes.

"Because you know exactly what I'll be thinking about all day because of that little show." _What did he think the point of the show had been?_

"Then you should be able to come up with some good ideas for tonight. I fail to see the problem." _He would be happy to show her the problem but they had a crime scene to get to. It would have to wait until tonight._ She subtly brushed against him on her way out of the bedroom. _Nope, didn't have to show her now._

"Hurry up, Booth. I'm ready to go." She called laughingly from the hallway.

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They arrived at the crime scene some twenty minutes later to find Cullen pacing beside his vehicle obviously waiting for them. Brennan and Booth exited their vehicle and approached. Cullen grinned at both of them then got down to business. After giving Booth a nod of greeting, he turned to Brennan.

"Good morning, Dr. Brennan." Without waiting for her to return his greeting, Cullen turned and led them through crime scene personnel toward a ramshackle house that looked like it had been abandoned for quite some time. It was set on the outskirts of DC in a wooded area with no neighbors in sight. "Four years ago, we had two agents deep undercover in one of the worst drug gangs in the DC area," Cullen continued. "They had gathered some critical intel and were supposed to hand it off to their handler, but they didn't show up to the meeting. We never heard from them again." Cullen led them into the house. Brennan looked around and saw a few pieces of broken furniture but otherwise empty rooms. "Two days ago, we got a tip that our agents were buried in the basement of this house. The search warrant came through late yesterday evening and we started digging." He led them down a narrow set of stairs into a surprisingly large basement with a dirt floor and over to a hole that had been dug by the FBI technicians. Pointing to the body partially visible in the hole, he turned back to Brennan. "Dr. Brennan, I need you to tell me if that is one of my men so that I can get them back to their families."

Booth remembered the case. Even though he hadn't known the two agents well, it didn't really matter. All law enforcement was up in arms when two of their brothers disappeared without a trace. They all knew that the two men were dead and had chased after every lead that came their way to find them, but had come up with nothing. Now he understood Cullen's presence on the scene and the look of sadness on his face.

Brennan silently looked at Booth and Cullen. She saw that this was more than a case to Cullen. It was about the recovery of family so, instead of yelling at him about how they should have called her to look for the bodies instead of compromising her crime scene, she gave him a nod and allowed Booth to help her lower herself into the grave. Before she could give the partially exposed skeleton even a cursory examination, she heard a shout from the other side of the room indicating the discovery of more remains and people started over there like a herd of buffalos.

_Okay, that's it_. Standing up, Brennan yelled, "Everyone STOP!!" Everyone froze in their tracks. Turning back to Cullen, she tried to keep her temper under control.

"Director Cullen, I understand your zeal to identify your men, but every person traipsing over this floor," she made a sweeping gesture with her arms, "is destroying evidence and compromising _my_ crime scene. Do you really want to be unable to prosecute whoever did this," a gesture at the body, "because evidence was improperly gathered or destroyed by _your own_ men?" Her irritation was obvious by the end of this little speech. Cullen looked at her with narrowed eyes, rubbing his hand over his head and behind his neck. With a sigh, he acquiesced.

"What do you need, Dr. Brennan?"

"Clear the room." Cullen looked at her in amazement, then looked at Booth with an _Is she serious_ look on his face. Booth nodded to indicate that she was, indeed, serious. Cullen couldn't help but ask.

"Why?" Brennan was tired of answering questions. They were wasting time when she could already be recovering bodies and she was cranky from being woken up (she and Booth hadn't been getting that much sleep lately).

"Because they," indicating the other agents in the room, "don't belong here." She received a few hostile stares at this remark. "And they," indicating the crime scene technicians, "apparently have no idea how to properly secure and process a crime scene." Several more hostile glances came her way. After glancing at Booth and seeing his amusement at Brennan's hostility, Cullen made his choice.

"You heard the Doctor, clear the room. Now." Mumbling and grumbling under their breaths, everyone made their way out of the basement until only Brennan, Booth and Cullen remained. Booth squatted down and caught her eyes.

"What do you need, Bones?"

"I need my team to help me recover these bodies, Booth." Her tone was still a little exasperated but the smile she gave him told him that he wasn't the cause. He already had his phone out and was making the call before she finished her sentence. Knowing that the scene was secure and Booth had everything under control, Brennan happily turned back to examine the remains.

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THREE DAYS LATER

Brennan had spent the majority of the last two days at the crime scene. Once her team had arrived, they had begun the disinterment process. Because of the placement of the graves, Brennan had decided to bring in ground penetrating radar to look for more graves. So far, they had recovered five bodies and were expecting the total to be at least eight. None of the five bodies had been the missing FBI agents. They had all been young women between the ages of 18-25, Hispanic and had all been killed with one shot to the back of the head, execution style.

With Cullen's approval, Brennan had opted to use her grad students instead of the FBI team to recover the remains. She was determined that whoever had killed all these women would be caught and prosecuted and she was much more confident in their abilities to successfully recover the evidence and saw no reason to pretend otherwise. She had closely supervised her students for the first two days, but now that some of the bodies had been prepared and were ready for her to examine, she had left Hodgins in charge at the scene and returned to the lab.

Several hours later, Brennan was so frustrated she wanted to scream. Actually, she wanted to scream at somebody, but her grad students that hadn't been sent out to the crime scene knew that look well enough to give her a wide berth and her choice of targets was limited. But that was all right. The person causing most of the frustration was right in front of her and his name was Adam Black.

Cullen had requested that Booth return to the office to coordinate everything on this case from there. He had brought in an agent who was new to the DC office and was, therefore, unaware of Dr. Brennan's reputation. _Hey, don't judge him._ Cullen had had agents threaten to quit when he assigned them to a case involving her. Cullen had introduced Brennan and Booth to Agent Black and after giving them a few minutes to chat, he hustled Booth off. The few minutes had been Cullen's attempt to let Booth judge the man for himself and head off the in depth investigation of Black that he knew Booth would instigate as soon as they got to the office. It didn't work, but Booth didn't find out anything objectionable about Black and was reassured when Charlie vouched for his character.

Brennan barely glanced at Black after the introduction. But he looked at her. Like a hungry wolf looks at a wounded deer. She didn't notice, but Hodgins did. Brennan might not have noticed the looks, but she certainly noticed when Black started invading her personal space. He didn't actually touch her or she would simply have laid him out, but he did come very, very close. Brennan was beginning to wonder if he had a hearing problem given the way that he leaned in so close to hear everything that she said. He was constantly by her side and she couldn't turn around without almost bumping into him. Brennan started with giving him her best _Back off_ glare. He did, but just for a little while. She then calmly explained that he was getting in her way and that he needed to back off. He did, but his eyes followed her every move. He was starting to make her uncomfortable so she went upstairs and called Booth.

Booth had actually been expecting this call. He knew that his Bones wouldn't be happy with working a case with anyone but him, and had his strategy planned out already.

"Booth, I don't like this new agent." She didn't pull any punches.

"Why not, Bones? Did he do something to you?" He sat up straighter feeling a little anxiety at his own question.

"No, not really. He's just…hovering, Booth. He's there every time I turn around and it's starting to irritate me." Booth laughed. He wondered if Brennan even realized that she was describing their interactions at a crime scene. "It's not funny, Booth." Now, she sounded insulted.

"I'm sorry, Baby. You're right, it's not funny. But this guy is new to this office. He's trying to build a reputation for himself. I'm sure that he just doesn't want to miss anything and he doesn't know how you like to do things. I checked him out and he seems like a good guy. So, please, just give him a chance, okay? For me?" Booth's voice was soothing and Brennan quickly processed his request.

"Fine, Booth, but you'd better be right." She didn't sound convinced. He laughed again.

"Just trust me on this one, Baby." With a deep sigh, she decided that she could do that.


	23. Chapter 23

Brennan had spent the last three days resisting the urge to just murder Agent Black on the spot and dispose of the body (she knew that her family would help her and was positive that they would get away with it). Every time the urge became almost overpowering, she reminded herself that she was doing this for Booth and she was able to control herself. But she had finally had it. She was tired. She was sleep deprived. She was sex deprived. She had a lot of work to do and she was thoroughly sick of babysitting some junior agent who couldn't even take simple direction. _And he had just put his hands on her_. To be fair, he had grabbed her by the arm as she had gone to stalk past him, but in Brennan's book that still counted. She'd had his wrist bent backward and him on his knees before she even thought about it, barely able to stop herself from snapping a bone or two in her frustration and anger. She looked at him, voice and face icy.

"Do NOT touch me. EVER." He swallowed hard. The hold she had him in hurt like hell and he could see that a quick apology was in order.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Brennan. I didn't mean anything by it. I'm really sorry." His voice was pleading. Brennan didn't care if he was sincerely sorry or not, she just wanted him to go away. She dropped his hand and stalked toward the platform, scanning her security badge and ascending the steps. She turned and stared in disbelief as Black called out from the base of the platform.

"I'd like to come up, Dr. Brennan." He gestured, indicating that the ever present security guard should swipe his badge and let him enter. The guard started forward, his hand already lifting the security pass.

"_NO!!_" Brennan's voice stopped the guard, mid-swipe. Pointing a finger at Black, she let loose, "YOU WILL LEAVE MY LAB NOW!!!" she roared. The words _And never return_ weren't spoken but they were clearly implied. In her agitated state, Brennan couldn't think of a worse punishment to hand out to this annoying person. Black lifted his hands in supplication, "Okay, okay." He turned and started toward the door. Brennan watched his progress with narrowed eyes, just to make sure that he actually left. Almost to the door, he turned and addressed her timidly.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Dr. Brennan." He turned and walked out before Brennan could regain her power of speech.

"Not if I can help it," she muttered to herself, turning to the examination table where the latest skeleton was laid out because she was going to tell Booth about this little incident as soon as she got home. She caught herself at that thought and shook her head in disbelief. She and Booth had been together less than two months and here she was going to run to him tattling when someone did something that she didn't like. She was a grown woman, perfectly capable of handling her own problems. She could certainly handle Agent Black. _Hadn't she just proved that?_ Besides, she and Booth hadn't had a moment alone while they were both awake since leaving her apartment for the crime scene three days earlier due to the number of victims being recovered. Although they spoke by phone several times a day, they had both staggered into her apartment at odd hours to catch a few hours sleep and then gone back to work, rarely even crossing paths. She really didn't want to waste alone time with Booth discussing Agent Black. With a sigh, she turned back to work. She could decide what to do about Black later. Right now the young woman on this table deserved her full attention.

Agent Adam Black left the Jeffersonian with his hands pushed deeply into his pockets and his shoulders slumped dejectedly. He shook his head in confusion. He had followed Agent Perotta's suggestions to the letter in dealing with Dr. Brennan and he didn't understand what the problem was. He climbed into his car and sat there, thinking back to the first time that he had ever seen Dr. Temperence Brennan.

Adam Black had been the star of his local FBI office for several years when the opportunity to transfer to DC had come up. He had eagerly applied and presented himself to DC post haste when the transfer had come through. He had only been in the DC office for a few days when he looked up to see the most beautiful woman that he had ever seen in his life walking down the hall smiling up at the man beside her. He was instantly dazzled and smitten. He knew that the man was Special Agent Seeley Booth but didn't recognize the woman. He turned to the agent he had been chatting with and started fishing for information.

"Agent Perotta, who is that woman with Agent Booth?" Perotta was too wise in the ways of men not to recognize the look of male interest in Black's eyes. Since she had been ordered to stay away from Booth and Brennan, she thought that she might be able to use this to cause a little trouble between the couple. With a confiding smile, she placed a hand on his arm and leaned in closer.

"That's Dr. Temperence Brennan. She's a forensic anthropologist at the Jeffersonian. She's Booth's work partner." _Wow, brains and beauty_. He was definitely interested.

"Is she dating anyone?" His eyes were fixed on Brennan and he missed the feline little smile that darted across Perotta's face. His eyes narrowed as Booth slipped his arm around Brennan's shoulders and she leaned against him, laughing at something he whispered in her ear. _Well, too bad for him, it looked like she was already taken._

"No. She's not dating anyone." Black's head swung around at the assurance in Perotta's voice, giving her an _Oh, please_ look and gesturing toward the couple just a few feet away. Although she wasn't sure how she managed it through gritted teeth, Perotta was able to produce a genuine laugh.

"Oh, Adam, they're not dating. They're just partners." Perotta was able to unclench her teeth enough to give him a winning smile. "Brennan is a good friend to both Booth and me." She used her _silly boy_ voice to imply that she and Booth were a couple. Adam looked at her disbelievingly. She patted his arm and gave him a sweet smile. "Adam, they've acted like that for years with each other. Just ask around." She threw over her shoulder as she walked away, "And be sure to ask if they're dating." She turned around with a smile of satisfaction. She knew what the answers to those questions would be and he would be coming to her soon for advice on winning the heart or at least the attention of her good friend Temperence Brennan. Life was good.

Adam _had_ asked around. The office pool was split 75/25 on the issue of their being a couple (75% agreed that they were and had been together for quite a while). He was then surprised to hear that the office agreed 100% that Booth and Brennan denied unequivocally that they were anything more than partners and good friends. No one seemed to have any information on whom or even if either was actually dating anyone else. So, he went back to Perotta. She gave him a friendly smile and waited to reel him in.

"So, I asked around about that partner thing." He rubbed his hands together nervously. Perotta raised a brow.

"Is there something that I can help you with, Adam?" He was fidgeting nervously. Adam had been raised in a one parent household with a mother and four older sisters who all doted on him and it bothered him to put a woman on the spot. Taking a deep breath, he just let it out.

"Nobody knows anything about you dating Booth." Perotta gave a sultry laugh and patted his arm, using her _silly boy_ voice again.

"Of course not, Adam. That's just not something we want to bring into the office. But I don't think that's what you really wanted to ask me, is it, Adam?" She knew she had him now and was doing a gleeful dance of joy inside.

"Not really." Giving her a big grin, he dropped into the chair beside her desk. Perotta paused at the grin. Adam was a great looking guy. Tall, muscular without being overblown, dark hair, dark eyes, a charming smile. He was actually a pretty close physical match for Booth and Perotta would have slept with him in a second if she didn't have bigger plans for him. She reconsidered those plans briefly and decided that she wouldn't settle for close, she was determined to have the real thing. Booth in her bed. Unaware of Perotta's evil thoughts, Adam continued, "So, tell me about Dr. Brennan. What's she like? What kind of guys does she date?" With an inner smile, Perotta settled in for a little girl talk.

Adam left Perotta's desk an hour later a veritable font of faulty information. Lies fed to him about the type of man that Dr. Brennan showed a personal interest in. According to Perotta, she liked them a little dumb. Adam was actually quite intelligent, but he guessed he could dumb himself down. She liked them macho, pushy, invading her space and telling her what to do. Adam found this one a little harder to swallow. If anyone had treated his sisters like that, he would have kicked their butts, but he knew that women tended to have a certain type of man that they were attracted to and he guessed he could act like that to gain her attention and then show her the real him. Unfortunately for him, it never occurred to him that Perotta would lie about it.

With a deep sigh, Adam started his car and headed toward home. He knew that Dr. Brennan had been genuinely angry tonight. He just wasn't sure if it was because of the case or his actions. He was sure that he owed her an apology first thing in the morning. She didn't appear to be interested in him on a personal level and he needed to back off. This thought gave him a small pang in the region of his heart. He found Dr. Brennan intelligent, charming, beautiful and sexy and desperately wanted to just ask her out. Perotta had vetoed that idea, telling him that Brennan had this little ritual that she like to enact with potential mates. Something about them proving themselves worthy before she would consider dating them. And Perotta should know. After all, they were best friends.

Booth walked into the Jeffersonian, whistling under his breath. He had finally got caught up on everything at work and come to drag Brennan home for dinner and bed (in whichever order she preferred). He smiled and nodded at the security guard as he entered the Medico Legal lab. Glancing up, he saw that Brennan wasn't on the platform and headed to her office. She was sitting behind her desk, asleep, with her head leaning back against the chair. He quietly crossed the room, placed his hands on the arms of her chair and leaned down, lightly brushing his lips against hers. He felt her stir at the third whisper soft kiss. Her eyes fluttered open at the fourth and her arms were around his neck by the fifth. Then they were no longer whisper soft kisses. They were deep, hard and wet had them both panting in minutes. Booth tried to pull back to tell her that he was here to take her home but she wouldn't turn him loose. She was trying to pull him closer and he was trying to tell her that they couldn't do this here. He didn't think her chair was that sturdy. When she nipped his bottom lip and aggressively pushed her tongue into his mouth, arousal washed over him with the force of a tidal wave. _She's got a couch_, he thought. Growling deep in his throat, and never separating their lips, he picked her up, shut and locked her office door and dropped down onto the couch with her on top of him. She pushed herself up using her hands on his chest and giving him a heart stopping, slow, sexy smile proceeded to show him that the possibility of being discovered did add a little something extra to the encounter.

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The next morning, Brennan looked at Adam Black wondering if he was suffering from multiple personality disorder and if he might benefit from a little alone time with Sweets. She had completely forgotten to mention the agent's actions of yesterday to Booth. By the time they had made it home, they had hastily eaten the take out they picked up on the way and fell into bed, exhausted. They had woken this morning and made love, slowly savoring each other, and making them have to hustle not to be late. She actually hadn't given Black a thought until she saw him enter her office. She was shocked that he had the guts to enter the building much less her office. She was more shocked when he apologized for his behavior over the past few days and asked if they could start over. She studied him and he felt like a bug under a microscope. He was keeping his distance. His voice was polite, courteous and professional. She finally nodded her agreement, but felt it was only fair to warn him.

"Fine. But, if you ever touch me again without my permission, I will hurt you." _And I'm telling Booth_. She smiled inwardly as this thought ran through her mind. From his experience yesterday and the look in her eyes, he believed her. Nodding that he understood, they got to work.

The day went much more smoothly than the previous three. Agent Black never tried to invade Brennan's personal space, his IQ seemed to have grown by leaps and bounds overnight and Brennan didn't once think about killing him. She even smiled at him a couple of times. Angela, Cam and Hodgins were keeping a close eye on the interactions. Firstly, because they had all been appalled that such a Neanderthal as Black had first appeared to be would be given a job, much less a gun and badge by the FBI. Secondly, they had all seen the way he looked at Brennan and, even though she remained oblivious to his attraction, they felt it prudent to keep an eye on the situation.

All eight sets of remains had finally been exhumed and moved to the lab. The full accompaniment of staff was, once again, present and things were moving along. Brennan had just finished a thorough examination on the seventh set of remains when Agent Black informed her that they had an identification from one of Angela's facial reconstructions and they needed to go notify the family. Brennan gazed at him thoughtfully, considering the advisability of going somewhere alone with him. Finally deciding that his behavior today had been above reproach, she nodded and went to her office to get her things. Cam was hot on her heels.

"Dr. Brennan, I don't think it's a good idea for you to go anywhere alone with him." Brennan gave her an amused look.

"Cam, I really appreciate the concern, but I can take care of myself. I'll be fine." She gave Cam's arm a friendly pat as she headed for the door.

"No." Brennan turned at the stubborn sound of Cam's voice. Cam's arms were crossed and the expression on her face could only be described as mutinous. "I'm using one of my trumps." Brennan was incredulous.

"What? Why?" She stalked back over to Cam and glared at her. "Cam, the guy might be a joke but we have no evidence that he is dangerous." Cam had to think about that one a minute, the she grinned as she realized what Brennan had been trying to say.

"I think you meant jerk, not joke." Brennan gave an unconcerned shrug and crossed her arms. "Dr. Brennan, just trust me on this one, it's not a good idea." Brennan's face turned mutinous and Cam sighed knowing that she couldn't stop her from going. But, she could at least try to protect her. "At least take Wendell," she offered as a compromise. She saw the instant refusal enter Brennan's eyes.

"Cam, I don't need a babysitter." Her anger and voice were rising, until Cam reached over and squeezed her forearm.

"Brennan, please, take Wendell with you." No change in expression.

"Okay, fine then. You give me no choice. I'm playing the family card." Cam waited for Brennan's answer. It wasn't long in coming. Her face softened. She placed her hand on top of Cams and gave it a squeeze. Brennan knew that for Cam to invoke the family card, she was genuinely concerned and Cam was much better at reading people than she was. With a smile, she acquiesced.

"That was dirty, Cam, but fine, Wendell can come."

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They returned to the lab three hours later and Wendell gratefully excused himself. He had been very uncomfortable the whole time they were gone. Cam had pulled him aside and explained that they thought someone else should get used to the notification process so that they could fill in for Dr Brennan if it was ever necessary. _Yeah, like he really believed that_. He had seen how Agent Black had been looking at Dr Brennan and how he had been acting prior to today. He was okay with being her bodyguard, but he did have to wonder why they didn't just call Booth. Problem solved. He had observed Agent Black's actions closely and seen nothing inappropriate. In fact, if he just based his opinion on today, he would think that Agent Black was a good guy. Now he really didn't know what to think.

Booth called and told Brennan that Cullen had pulled him in to help set up a last minute sting operation on a big prostitution ring and since they thought there might be a connection with the eight bodies, he would be home very, very late. Brennan decided to work late as well. She had found that the apartment was just too quiet now when Booth wasn't there with her and she wanted to finish the examination on the eighth victim.

After leaving Brennan with a good night and an I'll see you tomorrow to which she had responded with a nod, Adam went to one of the bars frequented by FBI agents and sat down at the bar. He smiled when he thought of his day with Brennan (he had stopped thinking of her as Dr Brennan on that first day). She had actually smiled at him a couple of times and she had told him that he was good with the victim's family. _Almost as good as Booth_ had been her exact words. He had a feeling that was a compliment in her book and was pleased. Maybe, he had a chance with her after all. Sipping his Jack Daniels, he glanced over as someone slid onto the stool next to him. It was Perotta.

"Hey, Adam." She shot him a perky smile. He returned the smile with considerably less wattage.

"Hello, Agent Perotta." He went back to sipping his drink.

"So, Adam, how are things going with Dr Brennan?" She tried not to appear too curious although she was eaten up with it.

"Agent Perotta, shouldn't you already know how she feels about me if you two are best friends?" Adam looked at her quizzically. It had been his experience that his sisters couldn't go a full day without talking to their best friends or they would, as they put it, just die. Perotta was surprised at the question. Pasting a slightly seductive smile on her face, she leaned in and touched his arm flirtily.

"Actually, Adam, I do know how she feels about you. She asked me to talk to you and find out how you feel about her." Adam looked at her consideringly.

"You know, Perotta, I was just myself today and she seemed to like that a lot better than all those little tips you gave me." Perotta could feel her influence over him slipping away and she couldn't allow that to happen.

"I haven't talked to her today, Adam. Why don't you tell me what happened?" He did just that, smiling at the end. Perotta reached over and patted his hand sympathetically.

"Oh, Adam, I'm so sorry." Adam looked puzzled.

"What is there to be sorry for?"

"You failed her test, Adam. The way she acted today means that she has decided not to date you. After the way she talked about you, I was sure that you guys would be a couple in no time. I really am sorry, Adam." She gave his hand a final pat and turned to slip off the stool when his voice called her back.

"What did she say about me?" He had to know. After today, he thought he was more than halfway in love with Brennan and if there was any chance that he could get her to return his interest then he would take it. Perotta wiped the huge smile off of her face and turned back to Adam.

"She said that she found you extremely handsome and charming." She gave him an assessing look as if trying to decide what else to tell him.

"What?" he demanded.

"She said that you were doing very well with her test. In fact, she thought it might be time to move onto the next stage of testing." Adam was pleased with this information. At first.

"If I was doing so well on her test then why did she decide not to date me?" he looked at her suspiciously. Perotta looked back at him sadly.

"Well, Adam, I don't know for sure, but I'm guessing that you gave up too soon."

"What the hell does that mean?" he snapped. Perotta gave him a gentle smile and a soothing pat on the arm.

"Adam, Brennan has very specific sexual appetites and if she doesn't think a man will play her bedroom games, she doesn't bother to date him. You must have done something to make her think you wouldn't play." Adam had to clear his throat and shift to a more comfortable position.

"What kind of games?" Perotta gave him a _shame on you for askin_g look.

"I can't tell you that, especially now." Her voice was faintly pitying.

"Can you tell me how to show her that I'm willing to play?" She studied him silently for a long moment.

"Maybe, but, Adam, you have to be sure about this. Brennan is my friend and I wouldn't want her to get hurt if you're not serious." He looked her directly in the eye and spoke in earnest.

"I'm serious. Tell me what to do."

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The next day, Brennan was certain that Agent Black was suffering from a mental illness and he was too far gone for Sweets to offer any help. Nope, it was rubber room time for him. She had expected to see the same courteous, professional demeanor as yesterday, but, no, the drooling caveman was back. He had been all over her space for the last few hours and she went to her office just to escape his presence. Unfortunately, he couldn't take a hint and followed her.

Agent Black strode into Brennan's office. Perotta had explained to him last night that this was all part of Brennan's little courtship ritual and if he wanted their relationship to further develop he had to aggressively pursue her. Perotta said that it turned Brennan on to be groped in a public place. At the thought of this, Adam's conscious struggled with the respect for women that his mother and sisters had instilled in him but he guessed if the woman wanted you to do it then it wasn't disrespectful. Perotta had then leaned in to relate some fantasies about him that Brennan had shared with her in such graphic detail that they left him hard and aching. At that moment, he decided to follow Perotta's advice.

Brennan looked up and there he was leaning toward her, hands propped on her desk for support.

"I'm willing to do things your way, Dr. Brennan." Brennan had no idea what he was talking about.

"Agent Black, have you, by any chance, gone off your medications?" She looked at him curiously. Now, he was stumped so she continued, "because it can be very dangerous for someone with a psychiatric illness to abruptly discontinue their medications. Studies show that they have a higher rate of suicide.." The sound of a fist hitting her desk made her jump and look at him wide eyed. Perotta had told him that if Brennan suddenly went off on a tanget, that it was just to test his ability to remain in character and he should remain aggressive and demanding.

"I'm not crazy." He yelled. _Okay, enough_. He didn't care what Perotta had told him to do. Brennan thought he was crazy and he couldn't really blame her. He decided to just come clean and explain the whole situation to her. She probably wouldn't date him, but at least she wouldn't think he was a lunatic, either.

"Okay," she nodded, slowly standing and starting toward the door. He stepped toward her and her speed increased. About three steps outside her door, he grabbed for her arm. He just wanted for her to stand still so he could talk to her and had completely forgotten her warning about touching her. Just as he reached out, she turned slightly and what he grabbed wasn't her arm.

Angela and Hodgins stood on the observation deck and suspiciously watched Agent Black enter Brennan's office. They were just as puzzled as Brennan by his Jekyll and Hyde personality changes and were monitoring his interactions with Brennan even more closely. They both stiffened when they heard raised voices coming from Brennan's office but relaxed when they saw Cam headed that way. Just then, Brennan came speeding through the doorway to her office, Black hot on her heels. She looked afraid of him thought Hodgins pushing away from the railing. Black reached toward her and ……

"Hey," yelled Hodgins to get the attention of one of the guards and pointing in Brennan's direction indicating that the guard was to go to her assistance. He turned to Angela to confirm what he had just seen. "Did he just grab her ..?"

"Oh My God," gasped Angela in horror, her hands flying up to cover her mouth. Her expression told Hodgins that his mind wasn't playing tricks on him and that yes, he had just seen Agent Black reach out and grab Brennan's breast in front of the whole lab. Angela and Hodgins pushed away from the railing and sprinted for the stairs at the same time, hoping to avert disaster. They could tell from the sounds drifting toward them that they were already too late.


	24. Chapter 24

Deputy Director Sam Cullen was in a very bad mood. He had eight dead young women on his hands and while they were making progress on this case, it wasn't fast enough to suit him. He briefly thought about sending Booth to jump start the squints to see if they could come up with anything new or helpful, but he dismissed the idea. He needed Booth here in the office. Booth had proven himself invaluable over the last several days in the office and Cullen hated to lose him back to the field but he knew that Booth wasn't interested in a desk job. _Besides whom else would he find to willingly work with Dr Brennan?_ He asked himself with an inward chuckle. His mind moved on to the fact that they still had been unable to locate the bodies of his missing two agents and he was thrown back into his crappy mood. The mood was reflected in his voice as he answered his phone.

"Cullen here," he snapped. He jerked the phone away from his ear, frowned and returned the receiver to his abused ear.

"Dr. Saroyon, I need you to calm down." He waited for a verbal indication that she was calmer. When she finished speaking, he quickly moved the phone to his other ear partly because he was sure that he was temporarily deaf in that ear from the sheer volume of her voice and, partly because he was completely certain that he had not heard her correctly. "Dr. Saroyon, would you please repeat that? Calmly, please." _And without deafening me in my other ear, if that's not too much trouble. _What she was telling him was just not possible. FBI agents did not do such things. But, he could tell by the absolute fury in her voice that it was true.

"Is Dr. Brennan hurt?" _Thank God._

"Dr Saroyon, I have to ask, are you absolutely sure that this wasn't just some sort of misunderstanding?" He hastily extended the phone to save the hearing in this ear as she vehemently insisted that it was no accident.

"You saw the incident?" Anger and outrage were evident in her voice. He rubbed a hand over his face. _Damn, what a mess_.

"I see. The whole lab saw the incident." _That was even better._

"How badly is Agent Black injured?" He never even considered that Brennan wouldn't or couldn't kick Black's butt_. Good for her._

"Where is he?" He made a note of the hospital that Black had been sent to.

"Yes, Dr. Saroyon, you can rest assured that I will get to the bottom of this. I will personally speak with Agent Black and meet with you at the Jeffersonian as soon as possible. Please extend my personal apologies as well as those on behalf of the FBI to Dr Brennan." His head jerked up and his eyes widened at her next words.

"Yes, Dr. Saroyon, I do think it would be prudent for me to speak with Agent Booth before he hears about this elsewhere." Shit, she was right. It would be very, very bad if Booth found out and got to Agent Black first.

"No, don't try to keep Dr Brennan from calling Booth. I'll talk to him immediately. Goodbye." With a growl of frustration, he stood, grabbed his jacket and headed out to try to clean up this mess.

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Booth had just returned to his office from a long, boring meeting about new procedures when Cullen stepped into his office and shut the door. Booth half rose from his seat at the serious expression on Cullen's face but was waved back down. Cullen put one hand on his hip and rubbed the other repeatedly over the back of his neck. Booth knew that it could not be good news bringing his boss to his office acting like this and was steeling himself to ask when Cullen spoke.

"Booth, there's been an incident at the lab involving Dr. Brennan." Booth was out of his chair and halfway to the door without his jacket before the next words penetrated. "Booth, she's not hurt." He turned to look at Cullen to judge his sincerity and relaxed.

"Where is she?" he demanded. Cullen sighed and went back to rubbing the back of his head.

"Booth, I need you to sit down." He didn't move. Cullen's voice became sharper and reminded Booth that he _was _his boss. "Sit down, Booth. Then I'll tell you what I know." Booth reluctantly sat down. Cullen remained standing, silent, searching for a way to say what he needed to without sending Booth out to find and kill Agent Black. _Today, that was going to be his job_.

"What happened?" Booth demanded. His insides were twisted into knots of fear and anxiety and he needed to hear Brennan's voice or see her face to reassure himself that she was okay. Cullen snatched his cell phone out of his hand before he could hit speed dial #1.

"There was an incident involving Dr. Brennan and Agent Black." _Why is he repeating himself? What isn't he telling me?_ Cullen saw the questions in Booth's eyes and knew that he had no choice but to answer them. "Apparently, he touched her inappropriately."

"_What?"_ Booth was almost out the door before Cullen could grab his arm to stop him. Booth stiffened at Cullen's touch on his arm, then turned tormented eyes toward his boss. "_I_ told her that he was a good guy. _ I_ told her to trust me and him and she did because _I _asked her to." Cullen moved his hand from Booth's arm to his shoulder, and gave it a supportive squeeze.

"I'm sorry, son. But, Booth, I can't have you going after Black. I promise you that I will get to the bottom of this, but you have to let me handle it." Booth's jaw clenched and his hands formed tight fists. Finally, he gave Cullen a jerky nod. "I don't suppose it would do me any good to order you to stay here until I get this straightened out?" Booth's eyes said _No way in hell_. His voice was a little more respectful.

"No, sir." Cullen smiled at the stubborn note in his voice. Patting Booth's shoulder once more, he gave his blessing.

"Then get out of here. Go and make sure our girl's all right." Booth looked startled at Cullen's words but didn't take time to question them. He was gone in the blink of an eye. Booth had been a favorite of his for a long time and Cullen had grown progressively fonder of Brennan over the years. In truth, they were two of his most favorite people. With a sigh, he headed off to see someone whom he wasn't feeling quite so kindly toward.

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Adam Black sat on a gurney in the emergency room calling himself all kinds of a fool. He couldn't believe that he had willingly swallowed every lie that Perotta had handed him. And it had become crystal clear to him in the instant that his hand touched Brennan's breast that everything had been one big, fat lie. The outraged woman standing in front of him didn't get turned on by being groped in public, she got pissed off. He had this epiphany about 30 seconds before he found himself on the ground curled up in a fetal position, whimpering in pain. And he deserved every second of it, he told himself. No matter what bull Perotta had fed him, he made the decision to base his actions on that information rather than what he knew was right. His mother and sisters would be so ashamed of him if they ever found out that he had acted so disrespectfully toward another woman. He was ashamed of himself. He would most likely lose his job and could even be prosecuted and he would deserve it. He didn't know what Perotta had against him, but he didn't think it was really him that she was trying to get at with her dirty little trick. He was pulled from his musings by the sound of the curtain sliding back and the doctor entering his cubicle.

"Well, son, I don't know what tiger you tried to grab by the tail, but I wouldn't advise you to try it again, because this one bites." Dr. Roberts laughed heartily at his own joke. Sobering at Black's lack of amusement, he sat down and started listing Black's injuries. "I've taken a look at your Xrays. We're going to need to splint those three fingers," he pointed toward the swollen index, second and third finger on Black's right hand, "and we're going to have to set these two," he indicated the index and second fingers, "before we can do that. Your radius and ulna have fractures." At Black's questioning look, Dr Roberts pointed to the swollen, bruised area of his forearm, just above his wrist. "The bones aren't actually separated so I think we can get by with an air splint instead of a cast. We'll wrap your broken ribs, but there's not much we can do about that." Dr. Roberts paused to allow his patient to ask questions. When none were forthcoming, he continued. "Luckily, your jaw isn't fractured, but it is going to be swollen and sore for a few days. The swelling around your eye should also subside in a few days. Then your eyesight will need to be evaluated to make sure that there's no permanent damage." Adam stared at the floor. With a sigh, Dr. Roberts decided that he had other patients and needed to be moving on. "Do you have any questions, Mr. Black?" Adam never looked up.

"No." Dr Roberts left his stool to head out. Just before he left the cubicle, he turned back.

"I'll have the nurses give you something for pain before we set those fingers," he offered.

"NO!" The doctor was surprised by his patient's objection to pain medications and scratched his head.

"Son, it is really going to hurt when I set those fingers," he explained. Adam was looking up at him now with stubbornness and determination etched on his face.

"I deserve it." He didn't elaborate. Dr Roberts could tell that the young man wasn't going to change his mind. Giving Black a look that said he thought the young man was an idiot not to take the meds, he left the cubicle to let the nurses know what he needed to send this guy home. They could use the room.

Sam Cullen stood outside Black's cubicle pondering what he had just heard. There had been a great deal of self-disgust in Black's voice when he refused the pain meds because he deserved the pain. That didn't sound like some creep that went around groping random women. Well, there's only one way to find out what was going on. Tamping down his anger and irritation, Cullen stepped into the cubicle.

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Booth pushed through the doors of the Medico-Legal lab almost at a run. The guards all knew what had happened and had been expecting him. They also knew better than to get in his way over something involving Dr Brennan so when Booth started scanning the lab looking for Dr. Brennan, one of the guards directed him to her office with a pointing finger. Entering her office, Booth didn't even note its other occupants. All he saw was Brennan standing beside her desk, appearing unhurt and his knees almost buckled in relief. He strode over, wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tightly against his chest, burying his face in her hair. After a moment of surprise at this very public display of affection, her arms crept around his waist and she held on tight. His arms were almost painfully tight. After several minutes, she tried to pull back but he wouldn't let go.

"Booth, I'm all right. You can let me go." She pushed lightly against his shoulders but he didn't budge.

"No."

"Booth, let me go."

"Bones, you may be all right but I'm not so just let me hold you for a minute, ok?" How could she say no to that request? She relaxed against him, laying her head on his shoulder and running her hands soothingly up and down his back. He shuddered then started to relax against her. After several minutes, he raised his head and cupping her face in his palms, tilted her head toward him. She gave him a soft smile.

"Are you okay now?" He leaned down until their foreheads touched.

"I'm getting there." He leaned down and gently pressed his lips to hers. It was in no way a sexual kiss. It was a kiss that said I love you, I'm grateful to have you in my life and I'm even more grateful that you're safe. It was the most tender gesture that any of the other three people in the room had ever seen. Hearing a sigh from Angela, Booth looked around and saw Cam, Angela and Hodgins spread around the room. He felt his anger rising to the fore. Releasing Brennan after one more quick kiss, he turned to Cam with his hands on his hips.

"What the hell happened here, Cam?" Cam wasn't really surprised at Booth's behavior. She knew that it was just a reaction to the situation and wasn't personal, but it still ticked her off. Planting her hands on her own hips, she glared at him.

"What happened here, Booth, is that _your_ FBI agent couldn't keep it in his pants and got grabby with Brennan in front of the whole lab." Booth flinched at Cam's words. Words that exacerbated the guilt he was already feeling over telling Brennan that Black was a good guy. Cam immediately that she shouldn't have said that and opened her mouth to apologize.

"Plus he's crazy," broke in Hodgins cheerfully. Booth spun around to look at Hodgins in disbelief.

"_What?"_ Booth looked around to find Brennan, Angela and Cam nodding in agreement with Hodgins.

"Hodgins is right, Booth. The only logical explanation for his radical behavioral changes is that he is suffering from some sort of mental illness." Brennan gave Booth the conclusion that the squints had reached just before he entered the room. "We think that he must have discontinued his medication." The other three, once again, nodded their agreement. None of this made sense to Booth. There had been no mention of mental illness in Black's file and Booth was skeptical of his ability to slip past the stringent screening process employed by the FBI if he was nuts.

Booth pulled Brennan over to her office chair and sat down pulling her into his lap (It was the only seat available in the room and they needed to be comfortable, didn't they?). Looking around the room, he said, "All right, start at the beginning and tell me everything."

Hodgins started them off, telling Booth about Black's actions at the crime scene. Booth closed his eyes and dropped his forehead to Brennan's shoulder, taking deep breaths to calm himself as he recalled her phone call trying to tell him about Black's behavior and his response. Getting himself under control, he squeezed her tightly and whispered, "I'm sorry."

Curious, she turned her head to look at him. "What for, Booth? None of this was your fault," she reassured him. He didn't believe that, but they could talk about it later. He focused on what Cam was saying. She told him about how Black's behavior around Brennan made them all so uncomfortable that they had basically been spying on him. Then she told him about Brennan going out into the field with Black. Before Booth could explode, she added that Wendell had accompanied Brennan. Booth made a mental note to thank Wendell and tried to calm back down. _Why hadn't she told him about any of this?_ He wondered. They had both been busy, but she should know that she could come to him for help with anything. Looking at her widening eyes, he realized why she hadn't told him that Black was coming on to her. She hadn't known, was just now, after hearing the others views, understanding that Black had been aggressively pursuing her. Booth shook his head with an inner sigh. Sometimes, she was just too naïve for her own good. But he wouldn't want to change a single thing about her.

Brennan took over to relate the events in her office and up to Black grabbing her breast. Booth was furious by this time. Brennan paused to give him a reassuring hug but didn't offer any further explanation.

"What did you do?" Booth asked. Brennan gave a delicate shrug.

"I took care of it."

"Dude, she kicked his $$," Hodgins broke in excitedly before Booth could ask Brennan for details. He went on to describe how Brennan had grabbed Black's hand, bent it downward and when he doubled over in pain, she kneed him in the ribs a couple of times, then elbowed him in the face, ending by smoothly flipping him over her shoulder. By the time Angela and Hodgins had skidded to a stop beside Brennan, Black was on the floor whimpering and Brennan hadn't even broken a sweat. Booth was impressed. Black was a pretty big guy. Booth had often wondered if Brennan could kick his butt. Now he had his answer. He was also irritated. Even if Brennan hadn't been aware of everything that was happening the other three clearly had and hadn't bothered to give him a heads up. He needed to know why. Allowing his irritation to show, he eyed the other three.

"Why didn't someone call me?" he demanded. They eyed each other uncomfortably, then Cam lifted her chin and answered.

"We thought that if Brennan wanted you to know she would tell you herself." Booth was a little hurt by the answer, but he couldn't really be angry at them. They had banded together and tried to protect his Bones. For that, he was grateful. But he needed to be sure they understood his position in Brennan's life.

"From now on, I want to know everything, and I mean everything, whether you three deem it necessary or not." He growled. "Got it?" Three heads nodded, but Brennan turned in his lap, indignant.

"That's ridiculous, Booth. I can take care of myself." Instead of arguing with her, he reached out to stroke her cheek and smiled at her.

"I know you can, Baby. But I can't take many surprises like today. So, please, just let me win this one, ok?" Her gaze softened and she nodded.

"Thank you," he whispered as he pulled her head down for a kiss. They didn't notice the other three exiting the room and closing the door behind them.

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Cullen entered the cubicle and gaped at the sight before him. The whole left side of Black's face was grotesquely swollen and discolored. He was lying partially reclined on a gurney with his right forearm and hand propped up on a pillow and covered with an icepack. He immediately sat up and swung his legs over the side when he saw Cullen.

"Sir." Black swallowed his fear and met Cullen's eyes. Cullen was actually a little impressed. He took a seat in the chair provided for visitors and eyed Black consideringly.

"Black, what the hell happened today?" Adam's lips tightened. He took a deep breath and answered.

"I messed up, sir." _Understatement of the century_. When he didn't elaborate, Cullen realized that he was going to have to ask specific questions to get to the bottom of this.

"Black, what in the hell gave you the idea that grabbing Dr Brennan's," Cullen's face flushed in embarrassment and he gestured toward his own chest rather than utter the word breast, "was in any way acceptable behavior?" Cullen was shouting and pacing at the end of the question, both hands on his hip. Adam gulped audibly.

"That part was an accident, sir?" _That part? There was more to this mess?_

"Black, if you don't hurry up and start giving me some answers, I may change my mind and turn Booth loose on you, after all." Cullen practically snarled. Adam looked at him wide eyed and paled considerably.

"Sir, what does Agent Booth have to do with this?" Adam was afraid that he knew but was desperately hoping that he was wrong because if he wasn't he _knew_ that he was a dead man. Cullen gave him an _Are you freaking kidding me?_ look, momentarily losing his ability to speak.

"Because he happens to be in love with Dr Brennan and they're together." _Oh, Crap, I am so dead_. Cullen looked as if he doubted Black's intelligence if he hadn't been able to figure this out. It was perfectly clear to him.

"Sir, I swear I didn't know." Adam's voice was pleading with Cullen to believe him. Cullen sat back down, propping his elbows on his knees and leaning forward, hands dangling loosely between spread legs.

"How could you not know?" Cullen was genuinely trying to understand, but he wasn't getting anything but more confused and angrier. Adam could see this and saw that the only thing he could do was start at the beginning and tell Cullen the truth, no matter how embarrassing it was for him. So, he did. Cullen could feel his fury and his blood pressure rising as Adam revealed Perotta's manipulations. He also felt a smidgen of respect when Adam made it clear that his actions were his own and that he took full responsibility for them, that he was very sorry and he would accept whatever punishment Cullen doled out without protest. Cullen stepped out while Black's fingers were set and splinted and made a call. He explained to Cam that he had gotten the whole story and needed to go back to the FBI building and take care of something before he came to the Jeffersonian. He grabbed Black as soon as he was released and hustled him out. They had to go have a little chat with a certain blonde who didn't know when to let things go.

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Booth had returned to FBI headquarters a couple of hours after rushing out to check on Brennan. He had offered to take her home, but she had just given him a look that said he was making a big deal out of nothing and told him that she had work to do. So, he had returned to work but wasn't really getting anything done. He had asked Cullen's secretary to let him know when his boss returned and was waiting impatiently for that to happen. Half an hour later, he got the call.

Booth hastily made his way to Cullen's office, smiling and thanking the secretary for her help. He knocked on Cullen's door and stepped in when invited. Then came to an abrupt stop when he spotted Adam Black sitting in one of the visitors chairs. A low growling sound emanated from his throat and he lunged for Black, Cullen barely managing to get between Booth and his target. Cullen thought for a moment that he wasn't going to be able to hold him back. Adam sat perfectly still, making no move to get out of the way or to protect himself.

"Booth, get a hold of yourself," Cullen barked. He didn't really blame Booth for wanting to take the younger man apart, but he still couldn't just sit back and let it happen. Booth stood rigidly, taking deep breaths and trying to control his temper. It took several minutes but he managed it. Cullen motioned Booth to a chair and reseated himself. Booth moved the chair further away from Adam before he sat. He wasn't sure he could control himself if he got too close.

"Booth, I'm glad you're here. You need to hear what Agent Black has to say." Booth wasn't interested in anything the slime ball had to say. "Booth, listen to him." Cullen insisted firmly. Booth turned and looked at Adam, seeing his battered state registering for the first time. A wide smile curled his lips. Hodgins was right, Bones had kicked this guys $$. _Good. He hoped Black hurt like hell for a very long time. _Adam turned and met Booth's eyes squarely.

"Agent Booth, I can't tell you how sorry I am for my actions and I would like the opportunity to personally apologize to Dr Brennan, as well." Booth was on his feet and in Adam's face as soon as he mentioned Brennan.

"NO!!" he roared, "IF I EVER SEE YOU ANYWHERE NEAR HER, I WILL TAKE YOU APART PIECE BY PIECE." It was a struggle to not just reach out and strangle him then and there but he managed. Returning to his seat, he glared at Cullen. "Sir, I don't particularly care what line of bull he fed you. There is NO EXCUSE for his actions."

"You're right, Agent Booth. There is no excuse for my actions and I take full responsibility for them." Adam said calmly. "But I think you need to know that Agent Perotta is trying to stir up trouble for you and Dr. Brennan." Booth was stunned by this statement. Was Black saying that Perotta had something to do with this? His silence indicated that he was listening, but his narrowed eyes never left Adam's face as he began with his move to DC. Booth couldn't believe what he was hearing. _What did that bimbo think she had to gain from all this?_ _Was she crazy or just plain evil? _Not that Perotta's involvement excused Black's actions in any way. Booth still wanted to shoot him between the eyes. Now, he just wanted to shoot Perotta, too. His anger and disgust was reaching an all time high as Adam was explaining how he accidentally grabbed Brennan's breast, when there was a quick knock on the partially open door and Charlie stuck his head in.

"Charlie, whatever it is will have to wait," Cullen snapped and Charlie's head immediately retreated, only to reappear moments later. Cullen threw him a look of irritation. "What is it, Charlie?"

"Um, sir, I thought that Agent Booth would want to know that Dr Brennan was standing here. She heard what you were saying."

"_What?"_ Booth was out of his seat and at the door in a flash, looking around for Brennan. When he didn't spot her, he turned to Charlie in confusion.

"Where is she?" Charlie was tugging nervously on his earlobe.

"She left." _No kidding_.

"Charlie, did she say where she was going?" Booth was all out of patience.

"Not exactly." _This was worse than trying to get information out of a four year old._

"What, exactly, did she say?"

"She asked where she might find Agent Perotta." Booth's eyes rounded and he was out the door, running down the hall, not even bothering to respond to Cullen's muttered crap. He didn't notice that Cullen, Black and Charlie were right behind him. The only thought he had was that Perotta had better hope that he found Bones before Bones found her.


	25. Chapter 25

Brennan was livid. She had stopped by the FBI building just to see if Booth could take off a little early so they could spend some quiet time together after this horrific day. He wasn't in his office and she had been directed to Cullen's office by Booth's secretary. Nobody was in the outer office and Cullen's door was ajar so she walked over intending to see if anyone was there, but froze on the spot when she recognized Agent Black's voice apologizing to Booth for today's fiasco and Booth's shouted response. She really didn't mean to eavesdrop but before she could make up her mind whether to leave or request entry, Agent Black started his tale. She was rooted to the spot, her incredulity and anger growing by leaps and bounds. How dare that…woman (she would have to ask Angela to supply a properly scathing term) say those things about her? And how dare Agent Black believe them? She had given him no indication that she was interested in him on a personal level. In fact, she had been completely rude and dismissive with him. As for Perotta, it appeared that they needed to have another little chat and Brennan was fairly certain that she knew how to get her point across in a way that Perotta would never forget. Her fantasies of breaking Perotta into tiny pieces were interrupted by someone clearing their throat behind her. She spun around to see that Charlie had entered the room. Thinking quickly, she tried to smile at him, but that is hard to do when your jaw is clenched so tightly that your teeth are grinding together.

"Hello, Charlie." At least her voice came out normal. Or so she thought. Charlie swallowed hard at the look in her eyes and tone of her voice and fervently prayed that he hadn't been the one to piss her off.

"Hello, Dr. Brennan." A calculating light came into her eyes and it made Charlie very, very nervous.

"Charlie, I was wondering if you could help me with something?" _Heck, yeah, he'd help her with whatever she wanted._ He didn't want her letting loose on him.

"Sure, Dr. Brennan. What can I do for you?" He was running his finger under his shirt collar nervously. She tried another smile but still couldn't unclench her jaw.

"Can you tell me where to find Agent Perotta?" Charlie was surprised by the request, but, hey, if that's what she wanted, then sure, he could do it.

"You could try her desk. Would you like me to check and see if she's there for you." This time, Brennan managed a small genuine smile. It was a smile filled with evil glee but it was a smile all the same.

"Yes, Charlie, thank you. I would very much like for you to determine her present location." He thought Booth would want him to help the doc out. After determining that Perotta was at her desk, he gave Brennan directions. The smile she gave him made the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

"Thank you, Charlie." She patted his arm on the way out, but, somehow, he didn't find it reassuring. Charlie didn't have a good feeling about this. He decided to let Booth know what was going on.

Brennan came to a stop beside an unmanned desk. She was sure that she had correctly navigated the maze that was the FBI building and arrived at her intended destination, but, as the desk did not have a nameplate, she asked anyway.

"Excuse me. Is this Agent Perotta's desk?" The woman on the phone at the next desk just nodded. "Do you know where she went?" The woman pointed. "Thank you." Brennan said with a smile. It still wasn't a good smile.

Three minutes later, Booth came running into the bullpen followed by a panting Cullen, Charlie and Adam. Everyone in the room froze at the sight. Cullen and Booth shouted their questions at the same time.

"Has anyone seen Perotta?"

"Has anyone seen Bones?"

About ten people pointed. Some were answering Booth and some were answering Cullen, but they all pointed in the same direction. Booth did not find this reassuring. The four men took off again.

Perotta meandered down the hallway. She wasn't going anywhere in particular; she just thought it might be a good idea for her to get away from her desk for a while. That phone call from Charlie made her a little nervous. She had seen Cullen and Booth leaving the office earlier as if the hounds of hell were nipping at their heels and smiled smugly to herself. _Way to go. Adam had finally grown a pair and followed her advice._ She had known he wouldn't be able to resist after sharing that little fantasy with him at the bar last night. She figured that another man groping Dr Brennan in public would get back to Booth and, at the very least cause friction between them (Not that she thought they were sleeping together) or Dr Brennan would seriously injure the man doing the groping and get her status as an FBI consultant revoked. _Either way, win/win for me,_ thought Perotta. She wasn't worried about Adam carrying tales. She didn't think he was all that bright and if he did figure out that she had lied to him; he would be too embarrassed to admit it. Besides, what had she actually done? Just told a few little stories. What could they really do to her for that?

Booth jogged down the hallway followed by his conga line of FBI personnel. And the line seemed to be getting longer with every step. The people not joining in the chase stood and gaped at the sight before them. Booth didn't even notice that practically half the personnel in the building were behind him. Cullen did. He stopped suddenly and whirled around, glaring at people as they attempted to stop but wound up bumping into each other instead.

"All right, people, show's over. Get back to work." Cullen yelled. They didn't move fast enough to suit him. "NOW!!" he roared. They moved then. Cullen thought that Brennan had been through enough today. She and Booth didn't need any more witnesses to whatever was about to happen. At that thought, he glanced around to see that Booth, Charlie and Black had disappeared. Cursing under his breath, he jogged off to find them.

Brennan stalked down the hallway; glancing into every office she passed to make sure she didn't miss Perotta. Her rage grew with each step and she sincerely didn't know what she would do to Perotta when she found her. She hoped that she would be able to tell her what a despicable person that she was and walk away. That was her intent, anyway. But she really, really, really wanted to hit her once or twice (or twenty or thirty times). Getting more and more frustrated, she started to turn into a large office to check the back rooms when blonde hair further down the hallway caught her eye. Eyes narrowing, jaw clenching, she followed.

Booth caught sight of Brennan as she peered into an office and wanted to sag in relief that he had gotten to her in time. Stopping, he bent forward, resting his hands on his knees catching his breath. Glancing up, he saw Brennan's head turn and her whole body stiffen, then she took off down the hallway. Looking in that direction, Booth saw a blonde head disappear around the corner. _Crap_. He took off at a sprint.

"Bones," he yelled, "Bones, stop!" He didn't know if she didn't hear him or chose to ignore him. Either way, this was not good. Perotta heard him and turned to see Brennan fast approaching with an expression of murderous rage on her face. Suddenly Petotta didn't feel quite so safe in this building. She frantically looked around for a hiding spot and smiled when she spotted a break room with two women inside. She hurried inside and turned to smirk at Brennan as she entered the room. She didn't think Brennan would dare do anything to her in the FBI building with witnesses. She was dead wrong.

Cullen, alerted by the urgency in Booth's voice, put on a burst of speed and caught up with him just as Brennan stepped into the break room. Perotta cast a smug smile at Brennan and taunted, "What's wrong, Dr Brennan? Have a bad day at work?" Brennan stiffened and her hands formed fists, but she didn't move toward Perotta. "Dr. Brennan, you should just turn around and go home. We both know you're not going to do anything to me in front of witnesses." Perotta was openly laughing now. Until the two "witnesses" spoke simultaneously.

"We won't see a thing," they assured Brennan. Perotta glared at them. She didn't even remember that she had slept with the shorter woman's husband and now they were separated. The other woman just didn't like how difficult women like Perotta made it for competent, professional women to get the respect they deserved in the workplace. Brennan glanced at the two women and saw that they were sincere in their offer. She gave them a genuine smile.

"Thank you," she said softly, "but that won't be necessary. I couldn't ask you to lie for me." And she wouldn't have to if the plan forming in her mind worked. She threw a scathingly dismissive look at Perotta. Turning back to the women, she gave them a conspiratorial smile, "She just not worth it." The women nodded their agreement. Perotta's eyes narrowed and her fists clenched. Laughing and looking Perotta up and down with a sneer curling her lip, Brennan whispered, "We all know that she's only good for one thing." The women burst out laughing. Brennan had no idea what she had just said but the one time she had heard Angela say it, the person she said it about had been very, very angry. Giving Perotta a last dismissive look, Brennan turned to leave the room.

Perotta was furious_. Who the hell did she think she was? Coming in here and insulting her? She couldn't do that._ She just did. _Well, she's not going to get away with it_. I'd say she is, as she's almost out the door. _Hell, no, that is not going to happen_. Then you better stop her fast. Perotta grabbed Brennan's arm and swung her around delivering a stinging slap to her cheek. She didn't realize that she had seriously miscalculated the situation until she saw the smile spread across Brennan's face. She never saw the fist moving toward her face.

Booth felt like he was moving in slow motion. He saw Brennan turn to leave the room and Perotta swing her around. He heard the sound of her hand connecting with Brennan's cheek echo down the hallway and he was infuriated.

"_Hey_," Booth yelled. Cullen grabbed his arm. He was looking at Brennan with something akin to pride on his face.

"My God, that woman is brilliant," he whispered, almost in awe. Booth gave him a look of disbelief. He couldn't believe that Cullen wanted to discuss Brennan's intelligence _now_. Booth attempted to pull his arm free but Cullen tightened his grip and shook his head.

"Our girl deserves a couple of free shots after what Perotta did." Booth thought he must have entered an alternate reality or else his brain tumor was back because he couldn't believe that Sam Cullen was standing here, calmly telling him to let Bones beat up another agent. Booth shook his head to clear it.

"Sir?"

"Besides, Perotta threw the first punch and we're all witnesses." Cullen indicated the six people within sight other than Perotta and Brennan. Then Booth understood what Cullen was saying. It was self defense. Pure and simple. Brennan couldn't be prosecuted for defending herself. She had goaded Perotta into striking her first. _Damn, she was good_. Booth couldn't have been prouder. His attention was drawn back to the women by the sound of a fist connecting with flesh. Patting Booth's shoulder in a fatherly manner, Cullen released his arm.

"Go on, son. Just don't let her kill Perotta. I'd hate to have to make you arrest her for murder. Something tells me she might not take too kindly to that in her present mood." Cullen turned and wandered down the hall, whistling. Booth entered the break room to find Perotta lying on the floor a bloody mess and Brennan…..sitting at a table, calmly sipping coffee with two female agents. Now, Booth was certain that he was in bizzarro world. He leaned down to make sure Perotta was still breathing and caught sight of Brennan rolling her eyes at her companions.

"She's not mortally wounded, Booth. Those particular injuries just bleed a lot. We've already called for medical assistance." Rising, Booth approached the table where the three women were seated. Planting his hands on his hips, he narrowed his eyes and tried to keep his lips from twitching.

"Feel better now?" His eyebrow crawled up his forehead.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do feel better now." She was completely serious.

"Bones, did you really have to beat up two people today?"

"Apparently, I did, Booth." Booth scrubbed his hand over his face, but before he could say anything else, Brennan turned her head toward the door as medical personnel entered and he caught sight of the imprint of Perotta's hand clearly visible on her cheek. Booth squatted down beside her chair and taking her chin gently in his hand turned her head to get a better look at her injury. He brushed his thumb over the reddened area so tenderly that the female agents sighed.

"Are you ok?" She put her hand over his and smiled.

"I'm fine, Booth. She only hit me once."

"How many times did you hit her?"

"Not nearly enough," she muttered under her breath. Booth gave her a disapproving look. "What? I really thought she'd be tougher than that?" The female agents were trying, and failing, to hide their laughter at Brennan's disgruntlement that she hadn't gotten to hit Perotta more and the exchange between Booth and Brennan. Perotta had been loaded onto a gurney and was being wheeled out when one of the EMT's leaned over and picked up something off the floor. He peered at it curiously then walked over to the table and extended his hand to show them what he held.

"Is this a tooth?" Brennan leaned forward and peered at it closely.

"Yes, that does appear to be a human tooth," she confirmed.

"Bones, you knocked out one of her teeth?" Booth was shocked.

"No."

"Good."

"I knocked out at least three of her teeth."Booth reached out and covered her hand on the table.

"How badly is she hurt?" Brennan shrugged.

"Any broken bones?"

"I don't think so. I'm not certain about the mandible. I felt it pop, but it could have been a dislocation rather than a fracture." At his questioning look, she clarified. "The mandible is the jawbone. And her nose doesn't really count because that's cartilage, not bone. The rest should just be bruising. Oh, and these teeth that I'm sure about." She clenched her teeth and grimaced to expose her own teeth and pointed to the two top and one of the bottom front teeth to indicate that these were the ones Perotta was missing.

"Agent Booth, Rachel and I would like to give a statement on behalf of Dr. Brennan concerning this incident." Brennan was touched that these strangers would stand up for her against one of their own. So was Booth.

"Thanks, Janet. Just go see Cullen in the morning. But, right now, it's quitting time. You ready to go?" He held out his hand to help Brennan up and threw his arm across her shoulders as they headed out of the room.

"So, how many people do you think you'll beat up tomorrow?" asked Booth playfully.

"Why?"

"Because it's not fair. I didn't get to hit anybody today." He whined.

"So, you're not upset because I beat up two people today but because you didn't beat up anyone?" Brennan needed clarification.

"Yep." Brennan patted his arm sympathetically.

"There's always tomorrow, Booth. If you're really lucky, maybe you'll get to beat up some scumsack tomorrow."

"Scumbag, Bones, not scumsack." Rachel and Janet smiled at each other as the couples voices faded into the distance.


	26. Chapter 26

Booth and Brennan had a long, thorough and very loud "discussion" about whether or not Brennan should press charges against Agent Black. Booth was adamant that she should. Brennan wasn't so sure.

"For what, Booth? Stupidity isn't a crime." Booth looked at her incredulously.

"For grabbing you, Bones. That is definitely a crime." His hands were planted firmly on his hips and he had on his stubborn face. Now Brennan was incredulous.

"Booth, if I pressed charges against every man that has ever touched me inappropriately, there would be a lot more people in jail." Now her hands were on her hips.

"_What?"_ he yelled, stepping into her personal space? "Who?" he demanded.

"Booth, it doesn't matter. I take care of it."

Narrowing his eyes and leaning closer, he asked again, "Who?"

"Booth, I'm not telling you. You'll just get all alpha male and want to beat someone up." She responded with an exaggerated eye roll. His eyes narrowed even further and a calculating light entered them. _Oh, she would tell him but maybe this wasn't the best way to get the information,_ he thought. He reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear and cupped her cheek in his palm, giving her his best puppy dog look.

"Come on, Baby, this is something that I should know." _So that I know who to shoot the next time I see them. _ She put her hand over his and leaned into the caress, her eyes softening. She gave him a sweet smile.

"No." _What? Well, then this called for more drastic measures_. Roxy's methods of extracting information suddenly entered his mind. Of course, he thought that was a great idea. His arm went around her waist and he pulled her closer, bending to brush a soft kiss across her closed lips. Her eyes narrowed. _What is he up to? It's not like him to just give up that easily_. His lips settled on hers, nudging them apart and sucking gently on her bottom lip. His tongue came into play as he ran it across her bottom lip then entered her mouth to gently explore every crevice. He kissed the corner of her mouth moving to dust kisses across the cheek abused by Perotta, making his way to her ear, running his tongue around the shell and nibbling on the lobe. He moved onto her neck. Pressing kisses and nips just under her ear. A soft, breathy moan escaped her and she felt him smile against her throat.

"You know you want to tell me," he whispered. _Tell him what_? Brennan had forgotten what they had been talking about. Then it hit her. _Ah, he thought that he could seduce her into telling him what he wanted to know_. She pulled back slightly and looked at him, her face a mask of amusement. He looked sulky. "You will tell me." he assured her. A raised eyebrow asked Really? Challenge extended. His face took on a look of utter determination and his eyes narrowed. "You _will_ tell me," he repeated, backing her toward the bed room. Challenge accepted.

Gazing into her eyes as he shuffled her backward, he miscalculated and backed her into the wall. Her eyes widened as she was trapped between his hard, muscled length and the unyielding wall at her back. Sensing his advantage, Booth move closer still, his chest pressed against the hard tips of her breasts, the shockingly thick bulge behind his zipper lodged intimately against the hollow of her stomach. She gasped and arched against him. With a husky laugh, his open mouth pressed against the base of her throat, his tongue flicking in a slow carnal caress against her pulse flickering there. She gasped, her breath catching at the pure eroticism of the act and her hands reached for him, spreading out to explore the hard planes of his chest. Unwilling to give up his advantage, Booth grabbed her wrists, stretching them high above her head and pinning them there, drawing a breathy moan from her. Looking into eyes deepened to the color of the ocean by desire, he gave her a chiding look.

"Uh uh, no touching." His body strongly disagreed with this rule and wanted her hands all over him (preferably naked and in bed) immediately. "At least, not yet," he whispered his breath hot against the sensitive shell of her ear, making her shiver as each husky word curled against her skin. Despite her arousal, she now understood (she is a genius, you know), and she decided to play his little game. Granted, she was handicapped without the use of her hands, but she still had a lot to work with. Pushing away from the wall, she rubbed herself sensuously against him, feeling his hot breath puff out against her ear with satisfaction and rising excitement. Her lips found his jawline and nipped playfully. His powerful body surged against her, pressing her firmly back into the wall. His head came around and she captured his lips before he could speak. Her mouth was hot and wet and the way she was kissing him quickly shot him from very, very horny to out of his mind with lust. He released her wrists to start removing pieces of clothing and she gained the advantage. As he pulled back to jerk her shirt over her head, she saw that his pupils were dilated, his eyes glazed with desire and she didn't care about the game anymore. Gripping his head between her hands, she whispered, "Take me to bed, Booth."

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Booth hadn't gotten his answers. In fact, by the time they made it to the bedroom, he had forgotten the question, but they had both gone to sleep very happy that night. Booth had finally given in to her insistence that there was nothing to be gained by prosecuting Agent Black and that his actions seemed to be guided by Perotta's machinations after seeing the security tape. It was clear from his body language and horrified expression that Adam had been telling the truth about grabbing her breast being an accident. She had just been too enraged to notice at the time and she wasn't at all sorry about inflicting bodily harm on him. _Someone stupid enough to be manipulated by Perotta's lies needed to have some sense smacked into them _she thought. Brennan didn't want to work with him but felt that he had been adequately punished. They agreed to accept whatever punishment that Cullen doled out as adequate.

They agreed wholeheartedly that Perotta was a menace, she was most likely mentally unstable and she had done absolutely nothing illegal that she could be prosecuted for. Sure, she had hit Brennan first, but after seeing the damage that Brennan had meted out, no judge or jury would further punish her. Brennan thought that this must be how the police felt when dealing with an unstable, evil mastermind, concerned only with how much harm they could cause to others, and unable to do anything about it. Booth thought that Perotta was a jealous witch who didn't know when to leave things alone and they were both right. They agreed, dejectedly, that they would have to accept whatever punishment that Cullen handed out to her.

They were both somewhat cheered three days later to learn that she had been suspended from the bureau indefinitely to undergo an intensive psychological evaluation. While Perotta's mandible (jaw bone) wasn't broken, it was severely dislocated. They had popped it back into place but she couldn't open her mouth more than a few inches without it dislocating again, causing severe pain and facial swelling. But the absolute best part, to Brennna's mind, was the fact that Perotta couldn't open her mouth far enough to get any dental repairs done and had to walk around indefinitely with three missing front teeth. _Wonder how much she smiles now?_ Brennan thought maliciously.

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Six weeks later, things had returned to normal at her Jeffersonian. Booth had been cleared to return to full duty almost four weeks ago and they were again a dynamic crime fighting duo. Agent Black had returned to work after a two week suspension, receiving an official letter of reprimand in his file. Brennan had received a personal letter of apology from him and an official one from the bureau but had not seen him. Brennan was pulled from her musing by Angela bouncing into her office.

"Are you ready to go?" Angela was almost clapping her hands.

"Ange, I think I should just reschedule. I'm really busy today," she whined. Angela planted her hands on her hips and looked at her sternly.

"You've already rescheduled twice. Don't be such a big baby," she chided. "Besides, I've been looking forward to this all week." She was laughing now.

"It's not that funny, Angela," Brennan griped.

"Yes, Bren, it is that funny. Now, come on, or we're going to be late," she urged. Brennan sulkily gathered her things and headed out the door behind Angela.

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Angela walked beside Brennan, frequently reaching out to help her maintain her wobbly balance. Angela couldn't stop grinning. Whenever Brennan had to have dental work done, they had to use the gas on her because of a bad reaction she had once had to the inject able medication and it made her, well, goofy. And Temperence Brennan goofy was so much fun to watch that Angela always volunteered to be her designated driver for these little excursions. She hadn't even told Booth about the gas thing fearing that he would take over her job and Brennan was too embarrassed by her reaction to tell him, so her position as babysitter on Dentist Day was secure she thought happily. Brennan stopped midstep. Since this had happened four times in the last twenty steps, Angela sighed and turned to Brennan.

"What is it this time, Bren?" Brennan's gaze darted across the ceiling.

"Oh, Ange, do you see the pretty lights?"

"No, sweetie, I don't, but you can tell me all about them." Angela patted Brennan's arm and briefly wondered what were the chances of her getting a shot of that gas, but then decided it probably wouldn't be a good idea for the both of them to be hallucinating at the same time. Brennan turned to grin at Angela.

"Okey dokey." Angela snorted. She had certainly never heard that phrase come out of Brennan's mouth before. As they exited the inner sanctum and entered the waiting area, Angela instructed Brennan to stand beside her and not move while she scheduled Brennan's next visit. When she turned around, Brennan was, of course, gone and Angela panicked as if she had lost her three year old at the Mall of America. She looked around the open part of the room and no Bren. She headed for the partitioned area that was almost a separate room. As she rounded the partition, she stopped in her tracks. There were only two people in the room. One was Dr Temperence Brennan and the other was Agent Peyton Perotta.

Perotta sat in one of the standard waiting room chairs, arms and legs crosed, staring mutinously ahead. Brennan had seated herself to Perotta's right and was hunched over in the chair, her face about two and a half feet from Perotta's, staring at her mouth with intense concentration. Angela walked over, ignoring Perotta's presence.

"Bren, what are you doing?"

"Looking." Her eyes never left Perotta's mouth. Angela grabbed Brennan's arm.

"Bren, come on, let's go." Brennan shrugged the hand off her arm.

"Can't."

"Why?"

"Just can't," Perotta turned a narrow eyed gaze on Brennan, but it had no effect. Sighing, Angela took a seat to wait her out. Less than three minutes later, Perotta turned to Brennan.

"For Heavens Sakes.." Brennan gasped and jerked backward so quickly that she almost fell out of her chair.

"Whoa!!" She looked at Perotta with eyes the size of dinner plates, "looking a little snaggle toothed there, Perotta." Angela jumped up and grabbed Brennan's arm, practically jerking it off pulling her from the chair and trying to get her out of the room. Brennan wasn't resisting, but before they got out of the room, she looked at Perotta over her shoulder. "You really might want to do something about that. Bye now." She tugged on the arm that Angela had nearly dislocated, whining, "Ange, you're hurting my arm. Did I do something wrong." Angela was moving her slowly toward the exit, but it was hard going with Brennan tugging back. She stopped and turned to Brennan with a long suffering sigh.

"Bren, that was a little mean, considering that you did that to her. Now, can we please go?" Angela held out her hand. Brennan had on her considering face but she placed her hand in Angelas and Angela thought they were home free. A huge smile spread across Brennan's face as she stopped right in front of the exit door and pulled away turning to face the very full waiting room. Thinking it would please Angela, she yelled at the top of her lungs.

"Hey, Perotta, I'm sort of sorry I called you a snaggle tooth." Muffled snorts and coughing fits broke out around the room. "But, I'm not at all sorry that I knocked your teeth out in the first place." She clarified as open laughter erupted in the room. Brennan turned back to Angela expecting to be praised and was surprised when Angela grabbed her arm and hauled her through the door, muttering something about Booth being welcome to Dentist Day. Brennan happily followed the pretty lights.


	27. Chapter 27

To Brennan's deep embarrassment, Angela recounted her encounter with Perotta too many times to count. She always knew what story Angela was telling when whoever she was talking to grabbed their stomach and doubled over with laughter. Angela had even told Booth and had to explain the laughing gas reaction. Booth was really sorry that he hadn't gotten to see her like that and he was secretly sorry that he hadn't witnessed Perotta's further humiliation at Brennan's hands. In his opinion, she deserved far worse than she had gotten as far as punishment for meddling in other people's lives. But all that was something for another day.

This was Friday afternoon and they had Parker this weekend. He and Brennan were both looking forward to it and he knew Parker was excited. Booth said that Parker and Brennan were bonded with crazy glue and they both laughed at him, but he saw it as the truth. He walked through the Jeffersonian and into Brennan's office to see if she wanted to pick up Parker at school with him. She wasn't there. He tracked her down in Limbo. Bent over one of the stainless steel tables reconstructing a shattered skull and he grinned. Seeing her in that position never failed to raise his libido and today was no exception. Glancing at his watch, he decided he had a little time to play.

Pushing away from the doorframe where he had been lounging, he walked up behind her, noticing that a hank of hair had escaped her ponytail and was brushing against her cheek. She tried to blow it out of the way but her breath just lifted it up then it settled back on her cheek. Laughing, he caught her attention and she smiled up at him.

"Hi."

"Hi, yourself." He brushed the strand of hair behind her ear. He leaned down and kissed her lightly on the mouth. When he tried to deepen the kiss, she pulled her head back slightly, holding her hands up like he was holding a gun on her.

"Booth, I'm working."

"I know." He also knew that she had glue all over her hands and she wouldn't use them to push him away. He stepped in closer, putting his hands on her waist and turning her to fully face him. He backed her away from the table and toward the wall holding bins of bones. She gave him a scolding look. He laughed, taking hold of her wrists and pinning them to the wall not liking the _I'll get you for this_ look in his eyes. He leaned down, his hot breath puffing against the sensitive shell of her ear.

"Relax, Baby. I just want a couple of kisses," he assured her. She didn't look like she believed him.

"That's what you always say, Booth, then we usually end up naked where we stand." He smiled against her lips.

"Is that a bad thing?" She opened her mouth to answer. He swept his tongue past her open lips and she forgot the question and where they were. Apparently, so did he because they were in the same position 10 minutes later when Cam cleared her throat to get their attention.

"People, how many times do I have to threaten to get out the fire hose?" Brennan gave Booth a disgruntled look that said she blamed him fully. Cam thought that was hilarious. Booth not so much.

"Can we do something for you, Cam?" Booth was anxious to get back to what they were doing when Cam so rudely interrupted.

"I need to speak with Dr. Brennan." Booth couldn't resist one more quick kiss and then stepped back with a sigh. Looked like play time was over. Brennan stepped away from the wall and turned to face Cam fully.

"What is it Cam?" Cam bit her lip.

"I think we should probably talk about this alone, Brennan." Brennan was starting to get concerned. Cam rarely called her Brennan during work hours.

"Cam, anything you have to say to me, you can say in front of Booth." Cam looked like she'd rather chew off her own arm than talk about this in front of Booth, but she took a deep breath and threw it out there.

"Dr. Brennan, the Jeffersonian has received a personal request from Dr Zahi Hawass for you to participate in the excavation and examination of over four thousand remains they have just uncovered. The board has asked me to let you know that they would like for you to take him up on his invitation. I need your answer today," Cam braced herself for the explosion she expected. Booth let her have it.

"_What? Four thousand remains? That would take forever, Cam."_ He was very agitated, running his hand over the back of his head repeatedly. He felt mean, petty and selfish, but he couldn't help it. He didn't want her away from him for a day, much less for however long it took to identify that many remains. Feeling a touch on his arm, he looked down to see that she had removed her gloves and was gripping his forearm. Now he felt like a jerk. He hadn't even asked her if she wanted to go or not. This could be something that she had dreamed of doing her entire life for all he knew. He finally worked up the courage to look into her face, to find her smiling at him knowingly. She knew exactly the sense of panic he had felt at a mentioned separation. She had felt it, too.

"Bones, how long would that take? To ID that many remains?" He desperately tried to make his voice neutral. He wanted to be supportive of anything that she wanted to do with her career, but he honestly didn't think he had it in him to cheerfully send her on her way for an indeterminate amount of time.

"It would be impossible to actually identify the remains, Booth. They want me to examine them to determine sex, race, general health, nutritional status, a multitude of things really, but it would take at least a year probably closer to two." He tried not to flinch at her words. She slid her hand down his forearm and took his hand. "I'm not going, Booth." He almost sagged in relief. He tipped her chin up with a finger.

"Are you sure you don't want to go? I don't want you to refuse something you really want to do because of me." He couldn't believe that he was questioning her decision when it was exactly what he wanted. He wanted her happy more, he decided. And if doing this project made her happy, he'd find a way to deal with it. She gazed at him steadily, her eyes open and honest.

"Booth, even if we," she gestured between them, "weren't an us, I still wouldn't choose to do this. This is pure research and, while I would find it very interesting, I can't really help these people. It's not about identifying victims of genocide and giving families closure or even about identifying murder victims and catching their killers. That is the part of my work that is so important to me." She turned to Cam, "Please inform the board that I will make my own decisions about whether to accept a project or not. I'll phone Dr. Hawass myself." Cam nodded and left the room. Brennan turned back to Booth. She felt it was only fair to warn him about something. "Booth, there will be requests that I will want or need to accept. You understand that, right?" He nodded and had her back up against the wall in less than five seconds, devouring her mouth. Twenty minutes later, clothing disheveled and hair free of its ponytail, they left Limbo. They left for the day and she went with him to pick up Parker.

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Sunday afternoon, Booth awoke from a nap on the couch with his forehead itching and stinging a little. Yawning, he reached up to scratch the itch. _What the hell? _ Something was stuck on his forehead. He pulled and heard a soft sucking sound as it released. Bringing the item down, he saw that he held a suction cup in his hand. _How the hell had a suction cup gotten stuck to his forehead? _ Suddenly, he had a pretty good idea.

"Parker Booth," he bellowed. Two set of footsteps pounded down the hallway, Brennan and Parker skidding to a halt and staring when they saw Booth. Both swallowed hard. Booth held out his hand showing them the suction cup.

"Parker, would you like to explain how this got stuck on my forehead."

"Not really." Brennan gave her head a firm shake, indicating me, neither. _Okay, that one had been his fault _thought Booth. You had to ask children direct questions.

"Parker, did you put this on my forehead?" Parker nodded. Brennan was trying so hard to look innocent she was practically whistling while her eyes darted around the room. Booth didn't buy it for a moment. "Bones, did you know about this?"

"Yes." _Damn._ Sometimes, he forgot that you had to be very direct with Brennan, too.

"Did you help him put the suction cup on my forehead?"

"Not exactly."

"Would either of you care to share the reason for the suction cup with me?"

"No." _Damn._ He wanted to bang his head against the wall. He dropped his head into his hands, running his fingers through his hair. When he looked up, both Brennan and Parker had backed up to the hallway entrance and spun around, poised to race down the hall. "Hold it." He used his voice of parental authority. It worked on Brennan, too. _Good to know_. He patted the couch on either side of him as they turned back into the living room. They dragged themselves over to the couch and sat beside him.

"Parker, I want to know why. Now." Parker immediately started talking. He had wanted to do an experiment using suction cups to see how long they would stick to surfaces with different textures. And he had, apparently, decided that Booth's forehead would be the perfect placement for one of his little experiments. Booth looked at him incredulously. Then he turned to Brennan with the same expression.

"What?" she demanded.

"Bones, you were supposed to be watching him." She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at him.

"I _was_ watching him, Booth. I told him it was ok to use your forehead."

"_You did what?"_

"Don't yell at her, Dad."

"It's ok, Parker. Yes, Booth. He wanted to do a perfectly legitimate scientific experiment and I saw no reason not to help him."

"So, you told him it was ok to stick a suction cup on my forehead."

"Yes, Booth. We just went over this." An unspoken but very loud _Pay_ _attention_ echoed at the end of the sentence. "At least I didn't let him use the permanent adhesive that he wanted to." Booth glanced at Parker questioningly. Parker shrugged.

"Super glue." _Oh, that would have certainly been special to wake up from a nap with a suction cup super glued to the middle of his forehead._ From the corner of his eye, he caught the furtive glances Parker and Brennan were giving his forehead. He reached up to rub his finger over the still slightly stinging spot.

"What?" he asked Brennan suspiciously. She patted his arm.

"Don't worry, Booth. I'm sure that it will start fading soon."

"_What? What will fade?"_ Booth jumped up, rushed to the bathroom and looked in the mirror and right smack dab in the middle of his forehead was an angry red perfectly round 3 inch hickey. Booth couldn't believe this. That his eight year old son would do something like this yes, but that his brilliant girlfriend had helped him. No, he was having a little trouble with that one. "Bones, how long did you leave this on?" Parker answered without hesitation.

"Two hours and thirteen minutes." Booth was even more incredulous.

"And it didn't occur to either one of you to take it off?" Brennan sounded scandalized by the suggestion.

"That was not within the parameters of the experiment, Booth. The whole point was to see how long they would adhere without outside interference." Parker nodded. Booth groaned, twisting this way and that but it looked just as bad from one angle as the next.

"I look like a Cyclops," he yelled. Brennan and Parker both snorted.

"Don't be ridiculous, Booth. Cyclops' are fictional creatures. Besides, they only have one eye in the middle of their forehead. Therefore, even if they did exist, you would still not be classified as a Cyclops." He could not freaking believe that she was giving him this lecture. Still in the bathroom examining his forehead, he could hear Brennan and Parker talking.

"Bones, if Dad wouldn't be a Cyclops, what would he be?" Instead of repeating her lecture on Cyclops, or saying that the spot on Booth's forehead technically wasn't an eye, she scrunched up her face thoughtfully.

"Well, Parker, I think that it would only be logical that your dad would be classified as a triclops." Parker fell over on the couch laughing and Booth found his lips twitching. Recovering from his laughter, Parker sat back up.

"Bones, do you really think it will start fading soon?"

"I have no idea, Parker, but he needed the reassurance."

"Yeah, Dad can be a big baby sometimes." Booth stood in the doorway with a tender look on his face as they rolled their eyes at each other and snuggled on the couch.

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"Booth, will you stop it?" Brennan swatted his hand away from his forehead for about the twentieth time that morning. They entered the Jeffersonian and the guard did a double take. Booth glared at him and he quickly diverted his attention.

"Bones, I told you that people would notice," he whined. _Well, of course, they're going to notice unless they're blind. You have a giant hickey on your freaking forehead, Booth. How could they not notice?_ She kept walking, trying to appear blasé and avoiding his eyes. They entered the Medico-Legal Lab and went to her office. Brennan grabbed her lab coat and headed to the platform telling Booth to stay in her office if he wanted. He wandered onto the platform about 30 minutes later and claimed a stool. Everyone that wandered close enough to him to get a good look, stopped and did a double take, Booth glared and they went away. Brennan studiously avoided everyone's gaze. That strategy worked for her until Angela bounced onto the platform with a cheerful greeting for the couple. She cast a quick smile in Booth's direction, stopped, backed up and moved in closer. She got right in his face and squinted her eyes up, closely examining his forehead.

"Booth, why do you have a hickey on your forehead?" Brennan was desperately trying to control her giggles. She didn't dare look up.

"Angela, I do not have a hickey on my forehead. Bones and Parker stuck a suction cup on my forehead when I was napping yesterday and this," he practically snarled, "is the result." Angela grinned.

"Yeah, like I haven't heard that one before." Angela walked over to Brennan and patted her on the arm, sympathetically.

"Sweetie, we really have to talk." Brennan looked up in surprise.

"What do we need to talk about, Ange?" Angela was grinning again.

"Bren, I know that you have trouble with slang sometimes, but, Sweetie, the correct term is _suck face_ not _suck his face off_." Booth almost fell off his stool laughing. Angela languidly left the platform and strolled across the room with Brennan yelling behind her.

"Angela, that is not a hickey." Angela raised her hand and kept walking.

"Uh huh, whatever you say, Sweetie." Everyone within hearing distance collapsed in laughter.


	28. Chapter 28

Brennan was tired. The last few days had been hectic. They had finally found enough evidence from the bodies of the eight young women buried in the basement of an abandoned house to determine that the women had all been forced into prostitution by one of the local gangs that dealt heavily in drugs and ran multiple call girl operations. Ironically, the women had all decided that they wanted a better life and had tried to leave the gang behind them. For this heinous crime, each woman had been forced to their knees and shot in the back of the head both as punishment and as a warning to others that there was no escape, that once the gang owned you, you were theirs forever. Brennan found it unutterably sad that every one of those women had been killed because they were strong enough to stand up for themselves. The gang involved in these murders was the same one the FBI thought was responsible for the disappearance of two of its agents four years before and they had gotten a couple of leads about where the bodies might be buried during their current investigation. Booth and an agent from the gang task force were currently interrogating a gang member for more information. Brennan was observing the interrogation and waiting for Booth to finish so they could go home. Hearing someone enter the observation room, her head swiveled around and she stiffened as she caught sight of the intruder.

"Hello, Dr Brennan." Agent Black stopped several feet away from Brennan and nodded respectfully. "I didn't know you were in here. Maybe, I should just go." As he turned to go, Brennan stopped him.

"Agent Black, wait." He turned back with a surprised look. "Did you come in here to watch the interrogation?" she asked gesturing to the action taking place on the other side of the glass. He nodded. She thought about it for a moment but saw no reason that they couldn't be civil to each other. She had already proven that she could take him down and didn't think that would ever be an issue again, especially without Perotta around to stir the waters. Motioning toward the window, she indicated that he should step up and observe. He looked at her thoughtfully for a moment before doing so. He stood stiffly with his hands stuffed deeply into his pockets. She stood at the other end of the observation glass with her arms crossed over her chest. After about 10 minutes of silence, Agent Black turned to her.

"Dr. Brennan, I just want you to know how very sorry I am for my behavior. I wanted to apologize to you personally then but I realized that I was probably the last person that you wanted to see. I was stupid to listen to Perotta but everything I did was my own fault." So far, he hadn't said anything that Brennan disagreed with so she continued to listen. "I hope that someday you can forgive me." She studied him closely for a minute. She really didn't know how to respond. It probably wouldn't be polite to say yes, he was very stupid to listen to Perotta or that she, too, held him and him alone, responsible for his actions. She was saved from answering by Booth's entrance. He was smiling tiredly as he came into the room. He walked over and put his arm around Brennan's shoulders, dropping a light kiss on her mouth.

"Are you ready to go home, Baby?" He could see her answer in her eyes. Turning them toward the door, he became aware of Agent Black's presence for the first time and his eyes went cold and deadly. "What are you doing in here with her?" he demanded. Brennan placed a hand on his chest to get his attention.

"Booth, it's ok. He offered to leave when he saw me in here, but I told him to stay." Booth looked at her incredulously. "Don't look at me like that Seeley Booth. I couldn't stop an FBI agent from watching an FBI interrogation in the FBI building." She told him irately. "Besides, he barely spoke to me and was in no way inappropriate. So, stop acting like you have to mark your territory. I can take care of myself." _Ouch. His Bones was cranky. Time to take her home, feed her and put her to bed. _ He dropped his forehead to rest on hers and gave her a charm smile.

"Okay, Baby. Let's go home, please?" She nodded her agreement and he took her hand leading her out of the room. Agent Black observed the interaction and wondered, once again, how he could possibly not have seen how much in love with each other those two were. Shaking his head, he also left the room.

Booth and Brennan made their way to her apartment opting to call for delivery rather than picking it up on their way. Brennan made her way to the bedroom with the intent of taking a shower but the bed looked so inviting that she couldn't resist lying down for just a minute. She was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Twenty minutes later, Booth stood gazing down at her with a look of pure adoration on his face. The last few days had been rough on both of them. As soon as the last piece of the puzzle had fallen into place, they had started chasing down leads, putting in 18-20 hour days in their attempt to get justice for those murdered women. The added incentive of recovering the bodies of his missing FBI team mates had also driven them to push themselves even harder than normal. Neither of them had had more than four hours of sleep a night for the last three nights. No wonder she was cranky. He hated to wake her, but decided that she needed to eat. They hadn't had time to stop for lunch today. Sitting down beside her on the bed, he gently brushed her hair away from her face and leaned down.

"Bones," he called softly, "wakey, wakey." Without opening her eyes, she swatted at him as if he were an annoying fly. He chuckled and shook her shoulder. Her eyes flickered open, but he could tell she wasn't fully awake. "Come on, Baby, wake up. Dinner just got here. You need to eat." She smiled at him and closed her eyes, instantly falling back to sleep. Well, he guessed skipping dinner one night wouldn't kill her. She obviously needed the sleep. He tenderly undressed her and tucked her in, ate his dinner, then slipped in beside her. Sighing in contentment as she snuggled into his arms, he closed his eyes and joined her in dreamland.

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Peyton Perotta's life had become a nightmare. She had gone from a respected FBI agent (well, an FBI agent, anyway) with limitless opportunities (in her opinion) in front of her to an indefinitely suspended FBI agent whose future depended on that little dweeb, Sweets. He just would not give her a break. He ignored her flirting and told her, flatly, that if she didn't show up for her mandated sessions that he would have to inform her superiors and her employment would be terminated. Oh, how she hated him. But, not nearly as much as she hated Dr. Temperence Brennan. In Perotta's opinion, ever vile thing that had happened to her could be laid squarely at the feet of the good doctor. She was responsible for her being suspended. Hell, she was even responsible for her not being able to get a date. Apparently, men didn't find her quite so attractive with three missing front teeth and she still wasn't able to tolerate her mouth being open long enough for them to do the dental repair work. And then, Dr. Brennan had heaped insult onto injury by taunting her and calling her a freaking snaggle tooth in front of about a thousand people at the dentist's office. Perotta had been so embarrassed; she had put her head down and quickly left the office ignoring the snickering breaking out behind her. She had gone to an appointment with Sweets and furiously related the incident to him. He had bitten down on his bottom lip, cleared his throat a couple of times, then with a strangled "Excuse me" rushed out of the room. She knew that he had gone somewhere to laugh himself silly, she thought furiously. She hadn't figured out exactly how yet, but Dr Brennan would pay, in spades.

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Brennan rushed through the doors of the emergency room of the same hospital where Booth had been declared dead so terrified at what she would find that she was barely holding herself together. Fortunately, Angela had been with her when the call from Cullen informing her that Booth had been shot came through. Brennan had gone ashen with shock and froze, completely unable to move or think. Angela had taken her arm and hustled her out of the lab, barely taking the time to yell out where they were going to Cam. Angela had driven like a Grand Prix professional and gotten them here faster than should have been possible, all the while casting anxious glances at her unnaturally silent and still friend. Angela dragged her over to the desk and demanded information on the whereabouts and condition of Booth. She was given the run around. Brennan still had not said a word. Not one word since Angela had seen the shock on her face and taken the phone from her limp hand, finishing the conversation with Cullen. Angela turned back to the person behind the desk prepared to cause a scene this woman had never seen the likes of if she didn't immediately cough up the information that she wanted. Brennan needed to see Booth. Cullen said that his injuries weren't life threatening and Angela had been repeating that to Brennan in the car but she didn't think she was getting through and she was more scared for Brennan right now that she was for Booth. Fortunately, she didn't have to resort to raising hell in the ER. Just as she opened her mouth, a tall middle aged man dressed in a nice suit stopped beside Brennan.

"Dr. Brennan?" Mr. Johnson asked in concern. Getting no response from Brennan he turned to Angela and held out his hand, and introduced himself. "Frank Johnson. I'm the administrator of this facility." Angela grasped his hand gratefully.

"Oh, thank God. Maybe you can help us. Agent Booth was brought in with a gunshot wound and this person," she jerked a thumb over her shoulder to indicate the clerk, "won't even tell us where he is." She glanced concernedly at Brennan. Now, Mr. Johnson understood the look of fear and shock on Dr. Brennan face and stepped quickly to the desk, ordering the clerk to find out where Agent Booth was immediately. He turned back to survey Dr. Brennan while waiting for the information. He remembered her very, very well. He remembered how close, how loving she and Agent Booth had seemed. And, even though she had been a nightmare to deal with on that last day, no one deserved to suffer not knowing the fate of a loved one longer than they had to. The clerk gave him Agent Booth's location. Mr. Johnson stepped forward and took Brennan's arm in a firm grip. She turned her head to look at him. He smiled gently at her.

"I'm going to take you to Agent Booth now, Dr. Brennan." She nodded and whispered, "Thank you," so softly that he had to strain to hear it. He lead them through the emergency room doors and down a long corridor to a treatment room, stopping outside the doors. Turning to the two women, he asked them to wait there while he checked on Booth's condition. Angela nodded and reached out to grip Brennan's hand tightly. Brennan gave her a dazed look, but she gripped back. Just then, they both distinctly heard a very familiar voice raised in obvious displeasure.

"Dammit, would you hurry up. I need to get out of here." Angela looked at Brennan with joy shining from her face and froze. Brennan was shaking so hard that her teeth were chattering and she was frighteningly pale. Angela reached out to put a hand on her arm so she was able to partially catch her and ease her to the floor when Brennan's knees buckled. Brennan covered her face with her hands, heart wrenching sobs flowing freely from her lips. Angela rocked her in her arms and whispered reassurances that Booth was fine and suddenly he was there, gently nudging Angela aside and scooping Brennan into his arms. Lifting and carrying her into the examination room, seating himself on the gurney with her on his lap, crooning softly to her. The doctor was berating him for tearing loose some stitches that he had just put into his arm, until Mr. Johnson quietly cleared the room, leaving Booth and Brennan alone.

"Ssshhh, Baby, please don't cry. I'm here. I'm fine. Everything's ok. Ssshhh." Booth held her close and whispered reassurances in her ear until she finally began to quiet and her arms crept around his waist clenching him in an almost painful grip. He looked down but she didn't raise her head from his chest. Cupping her face in his palms, he wiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs and smiled gently. Leaning his forehead against hers, he repeated, "I'm fine. I'm ok." She slowly nodded but he saw something in her eyes that he couldn't identify. "Are you all right?" _No, she very definitely was not all right_. She felt like her heart had, once again, been ripped from her chest as soon as she heard Cullen say that Booth had been shot. She didn't even remember anything else he had said to her. She only vaguely remembered Angela getting her to the hospital. She should be feeling relief that Booth was fine right now and she was, but that relief was overshadowed with a fear that chilled her all the way to her soul. Booth repeated his question and she nodded slowly. _She would be fine_ she assured herself.

"I was so scared, Booth," she whispered. He stroked her hair with one hand and rubbed comforting circles on her back with the other.

"I know, Baby, I know." _No, you don't know, Booth. You have no idea how it feels to lose the most important person in your life,_ she found herself wanting to yell at him. She knew that it certainly wasn't his fault that he had gotten shot, but she still found herself having to bite her lip to keep the words from escaping. _What the hell was wrong with her?_ She wondered. Before Brennan could ask him what happened the doctor returned to finish stitching up his arm. Brennan tried to crawl out of his lap, but he refused to let her go, shifting her to where the doctor had unobstructed access to his arm but unwilling to completely release her. He explained that he and a team of agents had gone to raid one of the bigger hideouts of the gang they were investigating for numerous crimes. The gang members had more firepower than they expected and things got ugly. They had lost one agent and two more besides him had been injured. The gang had six dead and four seriously injured. The bullet that hit Booth was a ricochet and left a deep furrow along his left bicep needing several stitches but they both knew that it could have been so much worse. After receiving stitches, Booth was bandaged, given a tetanus shot and prescriptions for antibiotics and pain medication and released. He finally let Brennan leave his lap and his arms.

Angela was waiting for them outside the treatment room to give them a ride. Booth had spoken to Cullen and been told to take the rest of the day off. Angela drove them to Brennan's apartment, still casting concerned glances at her best friend. Brennan's pallor had improved and she appeared to be aware of what was going on around her, even speaking when spoken to, but Angela sensed that there was something seriously wrong. She was very afraid of what was coming but had no idea what to do about it. Finally, she decided that she couldn't betray Brennan by giving details; Booth did deserve a warning about the possibility of an approaching storm. Before leaving the apartment to return to work, Angela pulled Booth aside.

"Booth, I don't know what Bren told you about when you were dead, but things got pretty bad. You shouldn't be surprised if she's not herself for a few days," Angela warned. Booth gave her a puzzled look. As far as he knew, Brennan's entire reaction to his death had been to punch him in the face at his memorial service and he still felt a twinge of hurt over that he was surprised to realize. So, he scoffed at Angela's prediction.

"Ange, she was fine when I was dead, so she'll certainly be fine now," he patted her shoulder reassuringly and was surprised by the venomous look Angela threw his way. She really, really wanted to smack him up the side of the head for his easy dismissal of her friend's suffering, but she held herself back.

"Booth, just call me if she needs me, ok?" She gave him a look that said he damn well better. He nodded, but he was certain that Brennan was fine. That certainty lasted until the third time that night that she woke screaming in his arms.


	29. Chapter 29

Nine days later, Booth was exhausted, at his wits end and Brennan looked like the walking dead. Neither of them had gotten a full night's sleep since the day he was shot. The first few nights, they had gone to bed as usual but Brennan only slept two to three hours at a time, waking them both up thrashing around in the bed and screaming. A few times, she had been calling his name but it was usually those screams, so filled with pain and grief that they made every hair on his body stand on end. He had pulled her into his arms and soothed her until she went back to sleep. As the days passed, she had come to bed later and later and even if he got her in bed at a reasonable hour, he frequently awoke to find her aimlessly wandering the apartment or working on one of her projects. When he asked, she had simply said that she was having nightmares. _Well, yeah, he wasn't even a genius and he had figured out that much._ He questioned her relentlessly until she had finally confessed that she was dreaming about him getting shot at the Checkerbox. He was so eaten up with guilt knowing that she still had nightmares so upsetting over that incident that he backed off with the questions. He couldn't stand to cause her more upset and told himself to just give it a few days and things would go back to normal. They had not.

He prayed every day for her to talk to him. Oh, she talked to him. At least, she used her words and anything he asked about other than the nightmares, she answered without hesitation. About the nightmares, she gave him the basics then said she didn't want to talk about it. Booth knew that whatever was bothering her was about more than the nightmares but on that subject she was eerily silent. He watched helplessly as the circles under her eyes grew larger and darker and the vivacious sparkle in her eyes began to dim and slowly fade away. He had tried everything that he could think of. He tired teasing the information out of her. She would laugh but the haunted look in her eyes never went away. He had tried physically exhausting her and she always responded passionately, almost desperately, even becoming more aggressive than usual. Their sex life had been so amazing lately that he could barely walk into the bedroom without getting hard, but she still didn't sleep. He even got her drunk. Nothing. Finally, in desperation, he had told her that they needed to let Sweets help them with whatever was bothering her. She had given him an icy look and told him that if he said a word about this to Sweets she would never forgive him. He believed her.

He had gone to her friends at work to help him figure out what the problem was. He was beyond furious when they had all politely explained that they couldn't tell him anything without Brennan's permission. He had been stunned when Angela, Hodgins and even Cam had then closed ranks around Brennan as if she needed protection from _him._ They had not responded to bribery or threats and he had finally given up on weaseling any information out of them. He had no way of knowing how each of them struggled with their decision. They had numerous family meetings and finally decided that Brennan had earned their loyalty that day in Limbo when she had placed her hand in Hodgins' outstretched one and accepted them as her family. And Brennan had already been betrayed too many times by her biological family. They couldn't add to that. Besides, she had come to them after Booth's resurrection and made them promise not to tell Booth about how bad things had been following his death. So, they too, watched helplessly as Brennan began to lose her sparkle. They had gone to her, individually and together and begged her to tell Booth or let one of them do it for her. She had politely thanked them for their concern and turned back to work, completely avoiding the real issue.

Booth rubbed his eyes tiredly with the heels of his hands and allowed his head to fall back to rest against the couch in Brennan's office. They had just come back from lunch and he was taking a few minutes before returning to his office and tackling the boring paperwork waiting for him. He closed his eyes and was asleep almost instantly.

Angela walked into Brennan's office looking for her friend and saw Booth dozing on the couch. He looks awful, she thought, but not nearly as bad as Bren. She had an idea of how to help both of them without breaking her promise to Brennan, but it was walking the fine line of betrayal and she bit her lip as she, once again, considered sharing her plan with Booth. Without opening his eyes, Booth greeted her.

"Hello, Angela." She jumped at the sound of his voice. Laughing, she walked over and sat down beside him.

"Hey, Studly. How are you doing?" He opened his eyes and looked at her sadly.

"I've been better, Ange. But, I think you could help me with that if you would." Angela chewed on her bottom lip. Booth held her gaze.

"I can't, Booth," she whispered. Now, he was frustrated and it showed.

"Why, Angela? What can be so damn bad that nobody will even speak of it?" Angela gave him a level look that told him it wasn't just bad, it was awful. Booth heaved a huge sigh and started to rise from the couch. Angela grabbed his arm and he turned to her in surprise.

"You know, Booth, I think that you should take the afternoon off." She was trying to tell him something with her eyes but he had no idea what it was.

"Ooookay, and why would I do that Angela?"

"Oh, I thought you might have something that you needed to do."

"Like what, Angela?"

"Oh, I don't know. Go for a drive and clear your head. Watch TV and relax. Go and visit Zach." Booth's eyes narrowed at the last suggestion, sure that this was what Angela was telling him to do. _But, why_? His eyes asked.

"I'm sure that Zach will enjoy having a visitor and since you haven't seen him in a while, you two will have a _lot_ to talk about." Her eyes were practically flashing him messages and suddenly it hit him. Angela thought that he could get answers about whatever was bothering Brennan from Zach. He gave her a warm smile, then leaned over and brushed a light kiss on her cheek causing her heart to flutter a little.

"Thanks, Ange." He was out the door like a shot to find out what the hell was wrong with his Bones and fix it. If it were only that easy.

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Booth glanced around the visiting room while waiting for Zach to be brought in. It was dim and dingy containing only a table and three chairs and Booth hated the institutional feel of the place. It actually pained him to know that Zach would probably be confined here for a very long time. Hearing the door open, he glanced up to see Zach shuffling into the room. Zach saw the identity of his visitor and stopped in sheer surprise. Regaining his equilibrium, he straightened his shoulders and made his way over to the table, seating himself across from Booth, face impassive.

"Hello, Agent Booth." Booth grinned at him. He liked the kid. He had always found him annoying and a little creepy, but his affection for all the squints had just seemed to appear one day and Zach was no exception.

"Hello, Zach. How have you been?"

"As well as can be expected, considering I'm locked up in the looney bin." Zach was completely serious and a startled laugh escaped Booth at his verbiage. Zach studied Booth curiously and tilted his head to the side.

"You've never been to visit me before, Agent Booth. Is there a particular reason for you to do so now?" Booth wasn't surprised at Zach's reasoning skills or his blunt manner but he found that he was a little ashamed that he hadn't come to visit before now and this visit was for his own selfish purposes. _Well, buddy, nothing you can do about that now, so just suck it up and you can make it up to him later. _ Booth fidgeted uncomfortably in his seat but Zach's face remained impassive.

"Yeah, Zach, about that. I'm sorry that I haven't been to see you before now," he met Zach's eyes and saw his nod of acknowledgement for the apology. Booth tugged on his earlobe, not sure where to start. Zach waited patiently. "Zach I'm here about Bones," he finished in a rush. Zach's impassive face was quickly replaced with one of concern and he reached one hand out toward Booth before retracting it.

"Is something wrong with Dr. Brennan? Is she all right?" The anxiety in Zach's voice drew Booth's attention. The kid really cared about Bones.

"Well, see, Zack, that's the thing. I don't really know if she's ok." Zach looked very confused and concerned.

"I don't understand, Agent Booth." Booth gathered his thoughts. Best to start from the beginning he thought.

"Zach, did you know that Bones and I are together now?" The confused look remained so Booth clarified. "As a couple, Zach." Understanding dawned and Zach nodded his head enthusiastically.

"Yes, Agent Booth. Dr. Brennan shared that news with me some time ago." Booth looked at Zach in surprise and blurted out the next thought that popped into his head.

"I didn't know that you and Bones were such good friends, Zach."

"Dr. Brennan isn't my friend, Agent Booth." Booth's jaw dropped at Zach's denial of a friendship with someone he so obviously respected and cared for. "Dr. Brennan is my family. As are Angela, Hodgins and Cam. There are different kinds of families, Agent Booth. I believe that Dr. Brennan credited you with that theory." Booth's eyes softened and he smiled as Zach quoted his own words back to him.

"I got shot nine days ago and since then Bones hasn't been quite herself, but she won't tell me what's wrong. Angela thought that you could help me figure it out. Zach, buddy, I'm asking for your help here." Booth could tell that him getting shot was not news to Zach and he wondered if the boy genius knew everything that was going on outside the walls of his prison. He sure seemed to know the answers that Booth was seeking and was taking his time in deciding whether to share them or not.

"Why should I help you, Agent Booth?"

"What? Why wouldn't you help me?" Booth demanded and was floored by Zach's response.

"Because I don't want to see Dr. Brennan hurt again." Now Booth was angry.

"_What?" _he yelled jumping to his feet, _"I would never hurt Bones!"_ Zach was also on his feet and he was displaying more emotion than Booth had ever seen from him, his face flushed with something that looked suspiciously like anger.

"But you did hurt her, Agent Booth. You broke her and we didn't think we were going to be able to return her to her previous condition. Logic dictates that if you hurt her once, you can't be trusted not to do it again. Why should I trust you?" Zach yelled right back at Booth. So loudly, in fact, that the guard came rushing in. Booth apologized and asked him to leave them alone again. At Zach's assurances that everything was ok the guard left them alone. They both resumed their seats. Zach crossed his arms over his chest and looked at Booth stubbornly. Booth rubbed his hand across the back of his neck and frantically tried to think of some way to get Zach to cooperate. He finally decided to just tell the truth. He lifted troubled eyes to Zach.

"I love her, Zach, and whatever this is, it is eating her up inside. I just want her to be happy and until she deals with this I don't think she can be." He placed his elbows on the table and leaned forward, almost pleading, "I'm not asking you to do this for me, Zach. I'm asking you to do it for Bones." He could see Zach's mind processing what he had just said and held his breath. Zach's arms dropped into his lap and he slowly nodded his head.

"I accept your logic." Zach placed his hands on the table and leaned in like he was about to share a secret. "Is she having nightmares again?" Booth wouldn't have been more shocked if Zach had asked him about their sex life.

"How the hell do you know about the nightmares, Zach?" Booth demanded.

"I know about a lot of things, Agent Booth." Zach was back to being calm and stoic.

"Care to share?" Booth was getting a little snippy now, but he wanted answers and for once Zach saw that and obliged him. Starting with the shooting at the Checkerbox and moving in chronological order, he shared every excruciating detail of the pain, grief and horror that Brennan had suffered over his thoughtlessness. While Booth sat frozen in his seat, Zach told him of Brennan's days in Limbo without food or sleep, speaking to no one. The nightmares that she'd had when she did manage to close her eyes and that had persisted for months. How they had finally gotten her to leave Limbo and the four of them had all ended up staying at her apartment for the next three nights, because they were too afraid to leave her alone and none of them wanted to be alone either. He left out nothing. He didn't do it to be mean spirited or hurt Booth. That was just Zach's way, detailed and precise. But hearing all this did hurt Booth. More than he thought possible. He felt himself die a little inside every time Zach threw out another instance of Brennan's suffering. And every bit of it could have been avoided if he had only made one single phone call.

_Why hadn't she told him about all of this. Oh, yeah, I can just see Bones doing that. By the way, Booth, while you were dead, I went a little crazy and camped out in Limbo for a week or so. Not._ God only knew why she hadn't just killed him on the spot that day at the cemetery. He was really lucky she had only punched him once. He suddenly found himself wishing that she _had _just beat the crap out of him then and there. It might have helped release some of those emotions being brought to the surface by the latest shooting. After putting her through all that, he couldn't believe that she would even be in the same room with him, much less continue their partnership with almost no recriminations. And to open herself to him, heart, body and soul, after he had caused her such pain took a strength and determination that few people possessed. In that instant, he understood the depth of her love for him and her commitment to making them work and swore that he would make this up to her if it took him the rest of his life. The total silence in the room drew Booth's attention back to Zach. He seemed to have exhausted his supply of emotions and was sitting quietly staring at Booth. Booth gave him a man to man look (the first one ever between the two) and held out a hand to Zach. Zach shook his hand with a questioning look.

"Thank you, Zach, for taking care of Bones when I wasn't around to do it." Zach's chest swelled with pride.

"You're welcome, Agent Booth." He gave Booth the first real smile of this visit. Booth returned the smile.

"Listen, Zach, I have to go now, but I would like to come back and see you if that's all right." Zach beamed and nodded. Booth turned toward the door but turned back at Zach's voice.

"Agent Booth, Dr Brennan visits me at least twice a week. You may accompany her if you wish." Booth hadn't known that Bones came to Zach that often. It seemed that he didn't know quite as much about his Bones as he had thought, but he was going to learn everything about her, starting tonight. There was just one more thing that he needed to know.

"Why did you really help me today, Zach?" Zach simply gave him a Yoda smile.

"Because that's what families do, Agent Booth. Be there for each other." Booth didn't think he had ever been so touched by such a simple sentiment before. He left the room with tears in his eyes.

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Brennan was tired (exhausted really), hungry and pissed off. She hadn't had a decent night's sleep in over a week. Every night since Booth had been shot this last time she had woken to the recurring nightmare that started with his shooting in the Checkerbox and it was slowly driving her insane. Add to that the overwhelming fear and sense of impending doom that hit her every time Booth was out of her sight for more than a few seconds and it was a miracle that she hadn't already snapped.

She had tried to just will the unwanted feelings away, but they seemed to have taken up permanent residence and she had no idea how to evict them. She knew they were ridiculous and irrational, that Booth wasn't in any more danger than usual and she shouldn't be so worried that something was going to happen to take him away from her but that is exactly how she felt. She knew that Booth was worried about her, but she could not talk to him about this yet, not until she got the fear under control. She was afraid that if they did have that conversation, it would devolve and she would wind up screaming about him letting her think he was dead and she didn't want to do that. Actually, she wanted to do exactly that but felt it might be detrimental to their relationship if she said what she wanted to. But, she knew that she had to talk to him soon. She wasn't trying to shut him out but how could he see it as anything else? She asked herself. Sighing, she decided that she had to at least give him some sort of explanation and that she would do it tonight.

She looked at her watch with a frown. Booth had rushed out after lunch telling her that he had a special project to work on that afternoon and he would be back to pick her up for dinner. He was late. She fought down panic and gratefully reached for her ringing cell phone flipping it open without checking caller ID expecting it to be Booth.

The man on the phone identified himself as an FBI agent and explained that he was calling on behalf of Director Cullen. They had received a tip about the bodies of the missing FBI agents and Cullen and a colleague had gone to check it out. They had discovered two bodies and Director Cullen was requesting her presence on site to determine the best way to handle the crime scene without compromising evidence. He also explained that they had tried to contact Booth, but his phone went straight to voicemail and Cullen didn't want to waste any time identifying his agents. Brennan bit her lip and debated on whether to wait on Booth or not. If she went without him, she knew he would be upset, but Cullen was and another agent were already there so she would be safe. Plus, FBI agents or not, these bodies needed to be recovered and that was her job. Quickly deciding to go now, she asked for the address. The agent gave her the address and asked if he should send someone to pick her up. Assuring him that she had transportation and would be there shortly, she started gathering her things and speed dialed Booth. She frowned at her phone when it went straight to voicemail, trying to quail that insidious little wisp of fear unfurling in her stomach. It was not at all like Booth to turn off his phone. He didn't like to be out of touch with her and he certainly didn't like being unavailable in case Parker needed him. Leaving him a message to call her, she left the Jeffersonian and headed to the crime scene.

Upon her arrival at the scene, she looked apprehensively from the address on the piece of paper in her hand. Yes they matched, but something about this didn't feel quite right. She was right in the middle of a circle of approximately 12 abandoned warehouses and she appeared to be alone. In the process of departing this creepy assed place, she paused to answer her phone. It was Agent Pierce (the one from the first phone call). He explained that he and Director Cullen were waiting inside the warehouse and he had been watching for her arrival, that he had seen her just pull up and directed her to the appropriate building. Brennan bit her lip and looked around.

"Agent Pierce, why aren't there any crime scene personnel present?" she asked doubtfully. Agent Pierce gave a husky chuckle.

"Dr. Brennan, Director Cullen said that after the last crime scene he worked with you that he wouldn't dare call in anyone else before you." Brennan smiled at the memory of her yelling about everyone compromising her crime scene. Ok, that made sense. Suddenly, something struck her and she looked around.

"Agent Pierce, I don't see your vehicle." Another chuckle and he patiently directed her eyes toward the side of the warehouse where a black SUV sat tucked into the shadows, barely distinguishable in the darkness. Laughing at her own jumpiness, she assured him that she would be right in. Getting out the car, she didn't notice that her cell phone fell to the ground and skittered off to land next to one of the buildings. She grabbed her kit and headed confidently into the warehouse. Pulling open the rusty door, she stepped in and looked around frowning when she saw only darkness. She made her way further into the room and called out a Hello that echoed eerily in the vast emptiness. Reaching into her pocket for her cell phone, she intended to call Agent Pierce to confirm the correct location, but noticed it wasn't there. _I must have left it in the car._ Turning, she quickly started toward the exit to retrieve her cell phone. She felt a sting on her neck and fell to the floor unconscious before she had taken three steps.


	30. Chapter 30

**Thanks for reading. Please push the little button at the bottom and review. Come on, you know you want to.**

**Disclaimer: Still not mine and still glad about it.**

Booth walked into the Jeffersonian with his shoulders slumped and hands buried in his pockets, deep in thought. He didn't notice until he was standing in front of Brennan's door that her office was dark. Reaching out and finding the door locked he realized that she had obviously left for the day_. It wasn't like her to leave without letting him know where she was going _he thought. He pulled his phone from his pocket to make sure that he hadn't missed a call from her and then cursed like a sailor. His battery was dead. He had forgotten to put it on the charger last night and putting it on vibrate during his visit with Zach had kept the beep signaling an approaching power failure from sounding. He walked over to one of the land lines scattered about the room and quickly dialed Brennan's number. The phone rang until it went to voice mail. That was highly unusual. Brennan always had her phone within reach. Booth's gut clenched and told him that something was not right here. He quickly dialed his voicemail and, sure enough, there was a message from Brennan, but all it said was to call her as soon as he received it. Tamping down his feeling of unease, Booth told himself that the most likely possibility was that she was already at home and as exhausted as she had to be after not sleeping for so long, she had probably fallen asleep and didn't hear her phone ringing. He kept repeating that to himself as he left the lab at a run.

Booth raced down the hallways of the Jeffersonian, the feeling of unease in his gut growing into anxiety with overtones of fear. Bones was fine. She was waiting for him at home, he kept telling himself but he didn't believe it. He came to a sudden stop in front of the guard just inside the employee entrance and demanded, "Have you seen Bones?" The guard looked confused. "Dr. Brennan. Have you seen Dr Brennan?" he barked impatiently. The guard scratched his head and looked thoughtful. Booth wanted to shake him until his teeth rattled for not answering his question fast enough. Just as Booth had decided that a good shaking was in order, the guard smiled, "Yeah, Dr. Brennan left about forty-five minutes ago. I'm actually surprised to see you here." Booth had already turned away and headed for the parking structure when he caught the guard's last remark. He turned back.

"Why are you surprised to see me here?" Impatience permeated his voice, face and movements.

"Because Dr. Brennan had her box thing with her when she left." Seeing that Booth had no idea what he meant, the guard held up his hands to indicate the dimensions of the box. "That box she always takes when she goes to look at dead bodies with you." Booth strode over and grabbed the guard by the front of his shirt almost jerking him across the security counter.

"Are you telling me she had her field kit with her when she left?" he questioned in a deadly voice. The guard swallowed hard and nodded.

Booth released him and raced back to the Medico Legal Lab. The only reason she would be carrying her field kit was if she was headed out to a crime scene and the call would have had to come from the FBI. He just couldn't imagine who would have been stupid enough to call Brennan out on a case at night without him. They had to know he would kill them as soon as he found out and hunted them down. Picking up the phone and dialing his own office, he entertained himself with dark thoughts of what he would do to this unnamed stupid agent. It really worried him that there had been nothing on his voice mail from the office. Luckily, Booth got Charlie on the second ring. Unfortunately, Charlie knew nothing about a case coming in. He promised to check with dispatch and get back to Booth post haste.

Booth willed himself to stand and wait on Charlie's call when the only thing he wanted to do was run out of this building and tear the city apart with his bare hands until she was safe where she belonged, in his arms. By now, he was fighting a feeling of panic; he knew that something was wrong. After Charlie's call, he knew that something was very, very wrong. He made a split second decision based on years of trusting his gut. He declared Brennan a missing person and started barking out orders to Charlie. Then he told Charlie to delegate the tasks that he had just been given and get over to the Jeffersonian with a new battery for his phone. They would be using the lab as a command post. Then he called Hodgins, Angela and Cam and said six words. "Bones is missing. I need you." Not one of them asked a single question. They just assured him they would be there as soon as possible. They all arrived less than twenty minutes later followed closely by Charlie and Cullen. Everyone gathered around one of the tables on the platform and Booth outlined the situation. The only tense moment came when Cullen rubbed a hand over the back of his neck and looked at Booth assessingly.

"Booth, are you sure about this?" Booth looked him squarely in the eye.

"Yes, sir. I'm sure." He went on to explain that Brennan wasn't answering her cell or home phones, her car was gone from the parking structure and she had left the building with her field kit. Angela covered a gasp at the last statement. Someone deliberately luring Brennan somewhere had much more sinister implications than her simply being missing and everyone in the room knew it. Cullen nodded solemnly.

"If you're sure, that's good enough for me." Cullen agreed with Booth's assessment of the situation. Even if he'd had doubts, he would still make all agency resources available in this search. This was personal. Hodgins broke in. He was scared and antsy and his and Brennan's experience with the Gravedigger kept running through his mind. He was praying that Brennan wasn't going through that or worse alone.

"Booth, man, I don't know what we can do to help, we don't have any evidence to analyze." Booth walked over and clapped Hodgins on the back.

"Not to worry, Hodgins. I've already got a job for you." Booth didn't pause long enough for Hodgins to ask any questions. "Do you think you can locate Bones' cell phone for me?" A huge, pleased smile spread across Hodgins' face.

"Sure, man, if it had a GPS chip which I know it does. Shouldn't be a problem." He headed off the platform to get started. Cullen walked over and told Booth that he was going back to the FBI headquarters to start calling in agents and set up a command center to run the FBI side of this operation from, that Booth was to remain with the squints and they would keep in constant contact. Just as he was leaving, he placed his hand on Booth's shoulder and gave it a hard squeeze, "Don't worry, Booth. She's tough. We'll find her. Our girl's going to be fine." Booth wished he was as sure of that as Cullen seemed to be. Cullen gave Booth's shoulder a final squeeze and left the lab with a determined stride.

Less than five minutes later, Hodgins gave a victorious yell and came bounding up the steps to the platform, waving a piece of paper around. "I found her phone. I've got an address." Booth snatched the paper from Hodgins' hand and was almost to the door before he noticed that all three squints were hot on his heels. He swung around to confront them.

"Where do you three think you're going?" he demanded. All three answered at the same time.

"With you." They crossed their arms over their chests and didn't give an inch.

"NO!" Booth ran both hands through his hair. He did not have time for this right now and told them so. They didn't budge. "I don't have time to argue right now," he threw over his shoulder as he headed for the SUV at a clip.

"Then don't, but we're coming with you," Cam insisted from right behind him. _God, these people were a pain_. Booth was about to start yelling about how dangerous it might be and threatening to arrest them all for interfering with a federal investigation when Hodgins stepped in front of them, stopped him with a hand to his chest and gave him a level look.

"Booth, she's our family, too." Booth knew when he was beaten. He motioned for the squints to get in the damn SUV. Booth was terrified of what they might find at the scene and spent the entire journey lecturing the squints on staying out of the way, letting the FBI handle this part of things, etc to help keep that terror at bay. And the squints let him lecture them because they were just as scared as he was.

Four more black SUV's converged on the cluster of abandoned warehouses just as they arrived, so many agents spilling out of them that the SUV's appeared to be clown cars. Booth took a map of the area, laid it out on the hood of his vehicle and quickly split the assembled agents into two man teams, instructing them to search the area quietly in a grid pattern. After one last warning to the squints to stay put and stay quiet and assigning Charlie as their babysitter (a situation that none of them were happy about), he melted into the darkness, joining the search. Within then minutes, Brennan's car had been spotted sitting right out in the open, but no sighting of her or anyone other than their teams was reported. An hour later, it was clear that she wasn't there. All of the warehouses had been cursorily searched, but it would take a lot more manpower than they currently had and a lot of hours for a more thorough search of each one. Unbeknownst to Booth, Brennan's cell phone had been found at the side of one of the buildings and handed over to Charlie. Booth was methodically looking through Brennan's unlocked car when a shout brought his head up, sending him running toward the nearest building where and agent was standing in the door waving to get his attention.

"Agent Booth, we found something." Booth sped past the agent at the door and into the room where three others were in a circle carefully examining the floor with their flashlights.

"What? What did you find?" he demanded trying to see what they were looking at. At the sound of his voice, all three straightened and quickly turned to face him, shooting each other nervous glances. _"What did you find?"_ he roared. One of the agents pointed his flashlight about five feet behind Booth and he turned to see Brennan's field kit lying on its side as if it had been dropped instead of set down on purpose. Booth took a deep breath. That didn't necessarily mean anything, so far they hadn't found any signs of violence. _Bones was fine, she had to be. And he would find her._ He hoped that if he repeated that to himself enough times, his gut would quit churning with the need to throw up and the fear would release its grip on his lungs allowing him to breathe normally for the first time in hours. "Is that all?" He knew that they had found something worse by the looks on their faces and the way they avoided his eyes.

He pushed his way through them to the spot they had been examining so intently when he entered the room and shined his own flashlight down. Blood. A spot measuring about eight centimeters in diameter as if someone had laid there bleeding for a few minutes before being moved. Granted it didn't appear to be from a life threatening injury, but anyone spilling one single drop of his Bones' blood enraged Booth to the point that he was having trouble controlling himself. He wanted to shout at everyone to get off their $$e$ and find the love of his life. His jaw was clenched so tightly that his teeth hurt, hands fisted by his sides and he was trying to take deep calming breaths, but it wasn't working. His colleagues were throwing him anxious glances and giving him a wide berth and he didn't really blame them. He wasn't even sure he wasn't going to blow. As if she was standing at his side, Bones saved him. Booth saw one of the agents barely avoid stepping in the pool of blood and heard Bones' voice in his head as clearly as if she had just spoken and she was not a happy camper.

_Booth, what the hell are you doing, letting all these people walk all over my crime scene and compromise the evidence!? Clear the room, Booth!! NOW!_! A small smile drifted across his lips as he immediately calmed as he always did in her presence. "Stop!" he bellowed. Everyone stopped in their tracks, turning to look at him to see if he had snapped. "Clear the room," he yelled after instructing four agents to form a protective circle around the area with the blood stain so that no one could accidently contaminate the area. The other agents started filing out of the room. "Williams," Booth yelled at one agent as he was about to exit. "Tell Charlie to get the squints in here. This is what they do best." Williams nodded and trotted off to pass on Booth's instructions. Less than five minutes later, Charlie and the squints entered the room with their evidence collection kits. Cam and Hodgins immediately started processing the area containing the blood and taking samples for comparison to Brennan's DNA which was on file at the office. Angela stood back with both hands clamped over her mouth, staring in horror at the spot of blood.

Charlie approached Booth nervously and handed him something in a plastic evidence bag. It was Brennan's cell phone. Booth's hand clenched around it until it was cutting into his flesh painfully. Charlie handed another evidence bag containing a chunky necklace that he immediately recognized as belonging to Brennan. He should know, he had fastened it around her neck before they left the apartment this morning. Booth clutched the necklace in his other hand as if it was the last thing of hers that he would ever hold. The pain in his eyes made Charlie's heart ache. Charlie stepped away to take a call and when he came back, he appeared even more nervous. Booth's eyes remained fixed on the spot of blood on the floor.

"What is it, Charlie?" Charlie was tugging on his shirt collar.

"Um, Booth, when they brought me Dr. Brennan's cell phone, I called the tech guys to get started on pulling phone records. That was them on the phone." Booth nodded, eyes remaining focused on the blood. His Bones' blood.

"Just spit it out, Charlie."

"The last call on the phone was from an untraceable, prepaid cell phone. It came in at 8:01 pm, so she must have still been here at that time." Booth crossed his arms over his chest and finally turned his eyes to Charlie, noticing that he was tugging nervously on his earlobe.

"Is that all?" Taking a deep breath, Charlie rushed into speech.

"No, Booth, according to our tech guys, she received a call at 7:12 pm that originated from the FBI building," Booth's brow furrowed in confusion, but Charlie pushed on. "Booth, according to the tech people that call came directly from your office."

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Brennan slowly regained consciousness, finding herself lying on a thin lumpy mattress on the floor of a dark, dank windowless room. Her head was pounding and her whole body ached. She tried to reach up to her head with her right hand and found that it was handcuffed securely to the radiator attached to the wall. Her left hand was free. She reached up and felt a large lump over her right eye, flinching as her fingers probed it to determine the extent of the damage. _Superficial,_ she decided, noticing that her fingers came away from the wound bloody. Her neck stung and burned. Touching it she was aware of how familiar these feeling were but it took her a minute to place it. _Damn_. Somebody had shot her with a stun gun and judging from her sluggish movements and thought processes most likely pumped her full of drugs. She should know who did that to their victims, shouldn't she? Wait. She did know. Could the Gravedigger have her again? No, that couldn't be right. They had caught the Gravedigger. She had just decided she should go back to sleep for a while and let some of the drugs wear off so she could think straight when the door to her tiny prison opened. Brennan pushed herself upright and stared as a familiar form entered the room.

"Hello, Dr. Brennan. I hope that you find your accommodations comfortable."

"Are you _freaking kidding_ me?" she demanded, grabbing her stomach and doubling over in laughter.


	31. Chapter 31

**Thank you, everyone, for taking the time to follow my story.**

**Disclaimer: They do not belong to me and are probably thankful for that at the moment.**

Brennan studied Perotta, still chuckling loudly and noticed that the gloating, superior look that had been decorating Perotta's face at her entrance had morphed into confusion and then anger at Brennan's reaction to her presence. Perotta glared at Brennan, planting her hands on her hips and opening her mouth to blast Brennan. Brennan beat her to it.

"Perotta, could you _be_ a bigger idiot?" Brennan clapped her hand over her own mouth, but the words had already escaped. She couldn't believe that she was taunting her kidnapper. Well, actually, she wasn't surprised at all. The truth of the matter was the reaction Brennan had to laughing gas that Angela so enjoyed was mild in comparison to how she was affected by most injectable medications, especially those with a narcotic or anesthetic base. And the way she was feeling right now, she had been pumped full of those. _Super._ They not only made her loopy, they made her mouthy and not in a good way. They also cut her IQ in half, she had decided years ago, after her second reaction. She shuddered even remembering some of the things she had said and done then. Perotta's jaw had dropped at Brennan's words. She was also having trouble believing that Brennan was sitting on a thin mattress on the floor, chained to a radiator and taunting her kidnapper. Brennan tried to keep her mouth shut, but it was like an invisible hand jerked her hand away from her mouth and the words spewed forth.

"Agent Perotta," Brennan used her best pay attention to the teacher voice, "the correct response to my question is," here her voice changed to a breathy, higher pitch, actually a pretty close imitation to Perotta's, "why, no, Dr. Brennan," she added fluttering eyelashes, "I think I'm about the biggest idiot that anyone could be." Brennan clamped her lips together and buried her face against her updrawn knees to, hopefully, keep from saying anything else.

Perotta's eyes narrowed furiously, "Dr. Brennan, I'd watch that smart mouth if I was you." Brennan's head shot up and her mouth opened.

"Why? What are you going to do? Bite me?" she snapped her teeth at Perotta and then buried her face against her knees. _God, if she didn't shut up she was going to get herself killed._ She was done talking she promised herself, then Perotta opened her big mouth.

"Dr. Brennan, you don't seem to fully grasp your current situation," she snapped. Calming herself slightly, she continued, "You really should think about writing the Gravedigger a thank you note. If not for the abductions methods I picked up on that case, I would have just shot you through the heart and left you lying dead in that warehouse!" Perotta was shouting and towering over Brennan. Brennan raised her head and regarded her drolly.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah I'm terrified. Why don't you go away? I'm tired and you're very annoying." She was waving her arms dismissively toward the door to shoo Perotta out and yawning at the same time. Perotta looked at her as if she were possessed, then spun on her heel and marched militantly toward the door. Suddenly Brennan noticed how dry her mouth was and called out, "Perotta." Perotta kept walking not even breaking stride. "Perotta," Brennan called louder. No response. "HEY, SNAGGLETOOTH!!" Perotta stopped in her tracks, but did not turn. "I'm thirsty. Bring me something to drink when you come back, ok?" She yawned and lay down, falling asleep within seconds. Perotta walked away with no dignity whatsoever intact.

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Perotta walked away from Brennan's prison with her pride stinging. Even abducted, chained and drugged, Dr. Brennan refused to be intimidated. This made Perotta furious. She wanted to see Brennan hurt and humiliated, begging for her life, but admitted to herself that she didn't have the stomach to inflict the kind of pain and suffering that she wanted Brennan to suffer herself. So, she had found someone who did.

After that moron Sweets had announced more than a week ago that he could not, in good conscience, return her to active duty status and that he recommended she find alternate employment, she had started planning her revenge on Dr. Brennan. It hadn't been that hard, she thought smugly. In the last four years, Booth and Brennan had put away a lot of bad guys, making a lot of enemies in the process. I hadn't been difficult to locate one of those enemies. In fact, he had come to her, offering money for information. She had countered, demanding that he take care of Dr. Brennan and make her suffer in the process while Perotta observed. He had agreed, but Perotta was doling out the information, holding back vital pieces, to maintain control of the situation. She walked down a hall and entered a room equipped with several security monitors covering the outside of the house and the room where Brennan was being held prisoner.

"So, that's the famous Dr. Brennan," said an amused male voice. "She's a very beautiful woman."

"That's her," snapped Perotta. "Don't tell me that you've fallen for her, too." She snorted. "Trust me, when she opens her mouth, you won't be able to think about anything but shutting her up." She walked across the room to where he was sitting in a straight backed chair in the shadows, straddling his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck. Smiling at him, displaying her newly replaced front teeth, she reminded him of their bargain. "And if that is a problem for you, just remember how badly you need the information that I have." His hands came to her waist and he laughed.

"Just because I think she's beautiful, Peyton, doesn't mean I won't hurt her. Maybe, I'll just have some fun first." His voice was playful but Perotta stiffened, as a shiver worked its way down her spine. As much as she hated Dr. Brennan and wanted to see her suffer, she found this unacceptable. She knew from experience that no woman deserved what he was suggesting.

"No," she demanded. "We agreed on what was acceptable before we started this and that was never on the table. Besides," she whispered, leaning forward and nibbling on his neck, "you don't need her. You've got me." His hands tightened, then relaxed and he pulled her closer. Perotta relaxed against him, telling herself that her reaction had been prompted by jealousy, that she had not been protecting Dr. Brennan, but another shiver worked over her as she wondered for the first time, just who was running this show.

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Booth paced the floor of the lab, jingling change in his pockets and basically driving everyone insane with his impatience. After determining that the blood recovered from the scene matched Brennan's type, he had stood breathing down Cam's neck as she prepared samples for DNA testing and gotten in her way so many times that she had finally ordered him from the room. He had then stood over Hodgins as he examined particulates from the scene until Hodgins had looked up at him and said softly, "Booth, we all want to find her as badly as you do. But, dude, I can't work like this."

Taking the hint, he had gone away. He desperately needed something to do. Something to distract him from the thoughts running through his mind. That Brennan was hurt out there somewhere and he was helpless to find her. He refused to let himself consider the possibility that she was dead. His mind just wouldn't go there. But it did ask him, continually, _If this is how you feel with her just missing, how do you think she felt when you were dead with no chance of ever seeing you again? _ He had no answer. Even after talking to Zach, he hadn't really got it. Yes, he had understood on an intellectual level that Brennan had suffered greatly, but the feelings coursing through him right now gave him a better understanding of what she'd gone through than he'd ever wanted. _How can she ever forgive me for putting her through that? _he asked himself. He knew that he would spend the rest of his life regretting not making that phone call and trying to make it up to her, he just had to find her first. With sudden determination, he headed for Angela's office.

"Angela, do you have that footage from my office, yet?" Booth had requested footage from the security cameras outside his office be sent to the Jeffersonian after finding out that Brennan had received a call from his office. He certainly hadn't made it and couldn't fathom the purpose behind it. Angela looked up, her face drawn with worry.

"It just came in, Booth. I was coming to get you." She ran through the footage until the approximate time that they wanted and slowed it down. They both watched intently, a frown appearing between Booth's brows.

"Wait. Angela, back that up, please." She ran it back. "There. Now, play it slowly." She did, but all she saw was another agent going into Booth's open office with a file in his hands and coming out several minutes later with a stack of files. "Stop!" She looked at him in question.

"What is it, Booth?" He was squinting at the screen thoughtfully.

"I don't recognize that agent." There was something familiar about him but Booth couldn't place him. "And, nobody should be taking files out of my office without my permission." He indicated the stack of files in the exiting agents hands. "Angela, I need you to print me a copy of that photo, then run it through you facial recognition program against the FBI employee roster." He started out of the room while still giving orders. "On second thought, send the picture to Charlie's email."

"Wait. Booth, I don't have access to the FBI data base." He pulled out his phone and called Cullen, explaining the situation and asking that Angela be given access to all employee photos.

"You do now," he assured her, hanging up and heading out of the office.

"Where are you going?" she called after him.

"To my office." He needed to look at his desk to determine which files had been taken and, hopefully, figure out how that tied in to Brennan's disappearance. He ran to the SUV and used the siren and lights on his race to the FBI building. He smiled to himself thinking of the lecture that Brennan would give him for utilizing them in a non-emergency situation.

Making his way to his office, he encountered Charlie, who was already asking around, trying to identify the agent coming out of Booth's office. Charlie immediately informed Booth that he had handed out several of the photos and people were methodically going through the building asking all employees if they recognized the man. Booth noted, with surprise, that it was after 10:00 am and the place was bustling with activity. After telling Charlie to keep him posted, he made it to his office, looking his desk over carefully. He was able to easily recall what he had been working on and was stumped to see that the missing files were all related to the gang they had been investigating for prostitution and murder as well as drug, mostly his notes on interrogations with various gang members. There was also an empty file lying on top of the others. He hadn't put it there. Taking his handkerchief out of his pocket, he grabbed the folder and made his way to the lab, asking them, sweetly, to check it for fingerprints and run them against FBI employees, immediately. His phone rang while he was waiting.

"Booth, I have something for you, but it doesn't make any sense."

Booth rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Angela, just tell me what you've got."

"I think you need to see this for yourself," she insisted.

"Fine. I'll be right there." Snapping his phone closed with irritation, he told the lab to call him as soon as they had something and headed back to the Jeffersonian.

Angela looked around as Booth stomped into her office and smiled at his disgruntled expression. She pulled up what she wanted to show him and displayed it on the Angelator before he could ask. Pointing, she launched into what she had found.

"I ran this photo against the current list of active FBI employees and got nothing. So, since I had complete access to the employee data base, I expanded my search and this is what I got." She pulled up the matching employee photo and ID and was surprised at Booth's snort.

"That's impossible, Angela, he's dead."

"Actually, Booth, he's classified as missing, presumed dead. But this match is perfect. It's not wrong." She defended her work. Booth ran his hand over his head in frustration.

"Angela, it doesn't even look like him." Angela rolled her eyes at him.

"Booth, he's altered his physical appearance, probably with plastic surgery, but his underlying structure is basically unchanged and that is what the match is based on." She was starting to get frustrated at his refusal to believe her. "Trust me, this is your guy." Booth's phone rang before he could respond. It was the lab telling him that they had found and identified fingerprints on the folder he brought them. His eyes rounded as they confirmed Angela's identification. Flipping his phone closed, he stared at the face displayed on the Angelator. The face of Agent Alex Valdez, one of the missing agents that had been presumed dead for the last four years. _What the hell was going on?_

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Brennan woke several hours later feeling much more like herself. Her head ached abdominally, her mouth was as dry as cotton wool and she badly needed to use the restroom, but she didn't feel so woozy and out of control, she thought thankfully. She sat up and took stock of the small room that she was in. It was approximately 15 feet X 15 feet with concrete block walls on two sides. The other two walls were covered with rough paneling and a slight dampness permeated the room. She deduced that she was being held in a converted basement. She turned her attention to freeing herself. The radiator was firmly attached to the wall with one end of the handcuffs fastened around one of its coils. The other end of the cuffs was around her wrist tightly enough to bruise, leaving her no room to try to maneuver her hand free. There was nothing in the room other than the thin mattress that Brennan sat on and a blanket. Brennan leaned back against the wall to consider her options.

Even in her present circumstances, she wasn't really afraid of Perotta. Perotta might be a lot of bad things but Brennan didn't think that a cold blooded killer was one of them. Especially now that she, once again, had control of her tongue and wits. She was confident that she could reason her way out of this now that she didn't find it necessary to insult Perotta every time she opened her mouth. And even if she couldn't talk Perotta into letting her go, she knew that it was only a matter of time until Booth found her. She didn't have a second's doubt that he was already looking for her and smiled when she thought about his reaction when he discovered that Perotta had been the one to abduct her. He was going to be royally pissed. With a sigh, she settled back to await Perotta's return and hoped that she remembered to bring her something to drink.

Fifteen minutes later, the door opened and Brennan sat forward. But, it wasn't Perotta coming through the door. It was a man. He was about 5' 11" tall, Hispanic, dark hair, with startling blue eyes and very good looking. He smiled pleasantly at Brennan and walked over to hand her a bottle of water.

"Hello, Dr. Brennan. I thought you might be thirsty after your unpleasant experience." Brennan immediately recognized the voice.

"Agent Pierce." He leaned against the wall, crossed his arms over his chest and grinned at her as if pleased with her quick uptake. "I don't understand. Could you please explain to me what is going on here?" Brennan was starting to get a very bad feeling about this.

"Certaily, Dr. Brennan. I needed access to certain information about FBI activities and Peyton wanted you out of her way. We were able to reach and acceptable agreement and this," he gestured around the room, "is the result." He pushed away from the wall, walked over and squatted directly in front of her. Brennan got a clear, close up look at his face for the first time and her eyes widened. His expression was congenial, but she was looking into the eyes of a man who would kill her in a heartbeat and feel no remorse or much of anything else. She felt fear wash over her and he saw it. He laughed, reaching out to softly brush his fingers over her cheek, his mouth tightening when she flinched away from the touch.

"Such a shame," he murmured almost to himself, "to waste such a beautiful woman." With a regretful sigh, he got to his feet and turned toward the door.

"Are you going to kill me?" The words burst forth before she could stop them.

"Yes, I am." He answered solemnly then threw her a playful grin, "But not today." He left the room closing the door softly behind him.

Brennan hugged her knees to her chest, trying to control her shaking. She was terrified. _What the hell was going on here?_ With the first clear look, she had known that this man's name wasn't Pierce, but he was an FBI agent. Or, at least, he used to be. His name was Alex Valdez. Even though he'd obviously had extensive plastic surgery and was wearing colored contacts, she had studied his photo enough in the past few weeks to immediately place him. She was baffled as to how he and Perotta had teamed up, but his story felt like he was leaving a lot out. It didn't really matter. She believed him when he said he was going to kill her. She had met men like him before, killers without morals or pity for their victims and she had no doubt that he would make her suffer greatly and enjoy doing it. She buried her face against her knees and whispered, "Please hurry, Booth. I know that you'll find me. I just need you to do it fast. Please, please hurry."


	32. Chapter 32

**This one is a little long. Thanks for reading and please review.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

Booth braced his arms against the Angelator and hung his head, his thoughts spinning. There was only one reason for Alex Valdez to drastically alter his appearance and disappear, allowing his family and the FBI to assume that he was dead. He had been turned. It happened rarely, but it did happen. Every agent going into a deep undercover assignment like this knew it was a possibility and received psychological counseling to reduce that risk. But, once the assignment began, they had to immerse themselves so deeply into that dark underworld that all they had to rely on was themselves and some of them broke, embracing that way of life. Drug addiction on these cases was much more common than most people would guess and they occasionally lost agents to the dark side. Admittedly, this was an extreme case. They usually returned to the FBI and became stoolies for whatever organization they had been investigating instead of disappearing off the face of the earth.

It was easy to figure out what Valdez had wanted with the files in his office. He was trying to figure out if anyone had talked. If anyone had outed him. They hadn't. He had done that himself, by getting caught on that security tape. For the life of him, Booth couldn't figure out what Valdez had to gain by abducting Brennan, but the fact that he had been in Booth's office when the call to her phone was made obviously calling her to a non-existent crime scene made the possibility of him not being involved practically zero. This thought chilled Booth to the bone.

If Valdez had her, she was in serious and imminent danger. Rogue agents like this tended to turn into hardened killers, their loyalty to their new underworld family and their only instinct to do whatever it took to stay alive. They also tended to develop a sadistic streak and this worried Booth even more. _What the hell could Valdez have against Bones?_ They had never even met. Valdez had disappeared before he and Brennan began working together. The only thing that came to mind was the gang member that Brennan had roughed up during the course of an investigation. But, that didn't make any sense. Booth had made his feelings about his partner's safety perfectly clear to the cretin and they had reached an understanding. _Why would he come after her after all this time?_ He wouldn't. It would serve no purpose, except to draw heat that they didn't need down on their heads.

Valdez would have known that he would be captured on surveillance and checked out. He had to know they would figure out that he wasn't dead. _Why would he risk that after four years?_ There had to be a reason and Booth needed to figure it out if he had any chance of finding Brennan before she was hurt or killed. The rage and panic that flooded him at the thought of his Bones being injured was almost overwhelming. He closed his eyes and prayed for God to give him the strength to focus on the case instead of his feelings and for Him to help him find Brennan alive and well. He couldn't even consider any other possibility.

Ten minutes later, Booth was in the same position, considering and discarding ideas on how to locate Valdez. Obviously, if he had been hiding for four years without their knowledge, it wasn't going to be easy. He was pulled from his dark thoughts by Sweets and Black bursting into the room, panting as if they had just run a race. They both dropped into chairs to catch their breaths. Booth straightened, turned and looked at them questioningly. Sweets answered the question asked by his raised eyebrow.

"I just heard about Dr. Brennan. Have you heard anything?" _Great. The kid was here to satisfy his curiosity_. Unable to give a civil verbal answer, Booth shook his head. Sweets noted the strain and worry on Booth's face and dropped his head. Booth was going to kill him when he shared what he knew, but it needed to be done. Taking a deep breath, Sweets gathered his courage. "I think you should consider the possibility that Agent Perotta could be involved," he rushed out.

"_What!?_" yelled Angela, making both men jump. They hadn't noticed that she was in the room when they ran in. Sweets jumped up and ran his hands through his hair, pacing. He stopped dead in his tracks when he caught sight of the dangerous glint that had entered Booth's eyes.

"And, why would you think that, Sweets?" Sweets actually shivered at the iciness of Booth's voice. _Suck it up_, he told himself.

"Agent Perotta was very unhappy about being terminated." Booth stiffened in surprise. He hadn't known about that. "She was very vocal in her claims that everything bad that had happened to her recently was Dr. Brennan's fault." Sweets' voice dried up as Booth stepped up to him toe to toe, eyes narrowed and fists clenched.

"Don't you think you should have shared something like that with us, Sweets." His voice was cutting. Sweets gulped but held his ground.

"I couldn't, Agent Booth. She made no overt threats and I am bound, legally and ethically, to keep patient information confidential. But when I heard that Dr. Brennan was missing, I reconsidered and decided that you needed to know." Booth relaxed, slightly and took a step back. Sweets almost sagged in relief.

"How strongly do you feel that she's involved in this?" Booth's teeth were clenched in anger and his look told Sweets that they would be having a very, long talk about this later, but right now he needed his help. Sweets nodded that he understood.

"Very. I would be willing to bet that Agent Perotta was involved in Dr. Brennan's disappearance." His voice was strong with conviction. Booth grabbed his phone to fill Cullen in on the myriad of new developments, dismissing Sweets from his mind. Sweets was beginning to relax at how calmly Booth had taken everything when his arm was grabbed and he was swung around to face a furious Angela.

"_What the hell is wrong with you!?"_ she yelled directly into his face, slapping both open palms into his chest hard enough to sting and back him up a step. He opened his mouth to defend himself but she wasn't finished. "You'd think with you being a therapist and all, you'd notice that one of your patients was _CRAZY_," Again with the yelling in his face. She wasn't slapping him anymore,but she was poking him in the chest with her finger, hard enough that he was hunching his shoulders and backing up, "and give people a little warning! I'm warning _you_ now, Sweets, if that crazy, blonde, bimbo hurts Bren, _YOU WILL ANSWER TO ME!!"_ With one last poke, she turned and flounced out of the room, muttering under her breath about idiots. Sweets returned to his seat with shaking legs and looked up as Booth moved toward the door. Booth caught his eyes and while still talking to Cullen, gave his own warning.

"I'm with her," he said pointing toward Angela's retreating back. Sweets dropped his head into his hands sending up a silent prayer that Dr. Brennan was found soon and safe. And while there was some self-preservation involved, it was mostly because he was extremely fond of his favorite couple and considered them family. He looked up to find Agent Black staring at him wide eyed.

"What?" Sweets snapped. Black grinned.

"Don't they have any normal women working here? I mean, are they all like that?" He pointed to the door to indicate Angela. Sweets was aware of Black's encounter with Dr. Brennan and even without her beating the crap out of him, who would really consider Dr. Brennan normal?

"No, Agent Black, they don't have any normal women working here. They have a specific policy against it," he dead panned and they both burst out laughing. It felt good.

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Brennan wasn't laughing. She was searching her brain for a valid method of escape from this situation and getting a little closer to panic with each option that she examined and discarded. She had noticed the camera in the corner of the room a couple of hours ago and calmly stated that she needed to use the restroom. To her surprise, within five minutes Valdez had appeared, unlocking the cuffs and escorting her to the restroom. He hadn't even insisted that she leave the door open. Brennan soon saw why. There was nothing in the room that could be used as a weapon. Even the mirror and back cover of the toilet had been removed. The door lock had also been disabled, but Brennan didn't have a choice. She had to use the facilities. Valdez was waiting patiently when she finished. He swept his arm outward indicating the she should precede him back to her cell.

She looked around stealthily, noting that there were no windows visible. This increased her certainty that they were in a basement. The trip back was short and Brennan had to make herself calmly walk into that room. Every nerve in her body tensed with the need to take this man down and make a run for it. She could tell that Valdez saw that and was amused by it. He wanted her to attack him, so that he could hurt her, she could see it in his eyes. She didn't know why he was waiting, but she wasn't entirely certain that she could take him and she didn't want to give him any excuse to hurt her. She was actually hoping that Perotta would show up soon and she had never expected to look forward to seeing Perotta, but she was a lot easier to manipulate and a lot less dangerous than this man. Brennan felt she had a good chance at escape with Perotta.

Valdez grabbed her wrist to refasten the handcuff and tutted at the bruising already there. He took her right wrist in both hands and gently massaged the abused skin. Brennan tensed but didn't jerk her arm away. He gave her a look of approval.

"Your skin is too soft to be abused, Dr. Brennan, perhaps we should leave these off." Despite herself she could feel excitement rising within her. Without the cuffs, she would have a good chance of surprising whoever entered the room the next time, basically getting the jump on them, making escape a distinct possibility. He suddenly drew her wrist upward, pressing a kiss against the bruised skin. Brennan couldn't suppress the shudder of revulsion that ran through her but didn't try to jerk her wrist away because his grip had tightened painfully. He deliberately kissed the same spot again and looked up at her with laughter in his eyes. "Perhaps not," he decided, locking the cuffs around her abused wrist. "Peyton would never approve of that," he told her with a wink, leaving the room whistling.

Brennan sat on the mattress. This man was a sadistic creep. Sexual attraction had nothing to do with his little touches and innuendos. It was all about breaking her down psychologically. She was strong, she told herself, she could take it. And what was going to happen when he realized that his games weren't working, when his sadistic natured demanded some gratification? She shuddered at the thought. Brennan knew that when that happened he wouldn't hesitate to hurt her physically in the most painful and demeaning way possible. She had to get out of here before that happened. _Booth, I need you. Please hurry_. She knew that Booth would find her. She just had to keep herself alive until he did. _She could do that_, she decided, _she would do whatever was necessary to be with Booth again._ Closing her eyes, she prayed for the first time since she was six years old and decided that the idea of an omnipotent being was highly unlikely.

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Booth's progress across the floor of the Medico Legal lab was halted by Cam. She was biting her lip and looked like she was about to cry which was so unlike the highly professional Cam that it scared Booth. He took her arm.

"What is it, Cam?" She chewed her lip like she really, really didn't want to say.

"I just got the DNA results on the blood we found at the warehouse. It definitely belongs to Brennan." Booth nodded. He had expected this and didn't understand what was upsetting Cam so much.

"What else, Cam?" She shook her head and tears came to her eyes.

"That's just it, Booth. Brennan is out there somewhere with someone hurting her and we have _nothing_ to help you find her. I'm sorry, Booth." Cam's voice drifted off as Booth stiffened and she realized what kind of images what she had just said must have conjured into his head. She clapped her hand over her mouth, gave him an apologetic look and hurried off. Booth closed his eyes, breathed deeply a couple of times and banished those images by sheer force of will. Luckily, his phone rang right then, offering him a distraction. It was Cullen, reporting that agents had been dispatched to locate Perotta and reassuring him that he would be notified as soon as she was spotted. He reluctantly suggested that Booth keep Sweets and Black with him. Reluctantly, because he was fairly sure of Booth's reaction to the suggestion. He was right. Booth whined. Cullen argued that if Perotta was "Looney Tunes" enough to kidnap Brennan, it might be helpful to have Sweets onsite to talk to her. He didn't mention that they also might need him to talk Valdez down, but both men were thinking it. He added that Agent Black would make good back up. Booth gave in gracefully.

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Perotta made her way down the basement steps with a bag of fast food in her hand. She knew that Dr. Brennan was a vegetarian and had gone for salad and fries. _She could either eat it or starve_, though Perotta. She unlocked the door and entered to find Brennan sitting up on the mattress. If she hadn't known better she would have thought the woman was glad to see her. She laughed at herself for that thought. _Like that would ever happen_. She walked over and silently handed the food to Brennan.

"Thank you, Agent Perotta." Perotta's eyes narrowed at the polite tone. _What was she up to? _ Brennan could see Perotta's mistrust and offered a small smile. She needed Perotta to trust her enough to get her out of these cuffs and, hopefully, out of this room, where she could, at the very least, talk to Perotta without Valdez overhearing. Holding up her right arm and jingling the handcuff, she gave it a shot. "Do you think you could undo this so I can eat?" Perotta laughed.

"Nice try, but no." She turned to leave the room.

"Agent Perotta," Brennan called softly. Perotta turned, eyebrow raised. "I need to go to the bathroom. Could you please take me now?" Perotta gnawed on her lower lip. Alex had told her that only he should take Brennan to the bathroom, but he wasn't the one in charge around here and she needed to show him that. With a long suffering sigh, Perotta came back and bent over until they were nose to nose.

"If you try anything, I will have Alex hurt you. Do you understand?" At Brennan's nod she released the cuffs. Brennan got awkwardly to her feet, trying to give Perotta the impression that she was much weaker than she was. Perotta backed up out of reach and gestured for Brennan to go first. As they exited the room, Brennan glanced at Perotta curiously.

"Agent Perotta, how did you find this Agent Pierce?" Perotta snorted. It wasn't any of Brennan's business but she didn't see the harm in indulging her curiosity. It wasn't like she would ever be leaving this house and could share what she knew.

"I didn't find him. He found me. He came to me because he needed information and he paid well so I gave it to him." She caught Brennan's arm and jerked her to a stop, shaking her slightly. "After I got FIRED, our arrangement changed." Her grip on Brennan's arm was like a vise and Brennan could feel the nails breaking the skin, but she needed this information. She ignored the got fired part of Perotta's statement. Nothing good could possibly come from them discussing that.

"How did the arrangement change?" Perotta looked pleased with herself. She let go of Brennan's arm and crossed her arms over her chest giving Brennan a superior smile. Brennan wanted to slap the smile off her face.

"You, Dr. Brennan." Perotta didn't explain further but she didn't need to. Brennan realized with a sense of horror that she was in the clutches of a sadistic madman because Peyton Perotta was so damn full of herself that she couldn't take being rejected by one man. Granted, Booth was one fine man, but still, this was a bit extreme. Thinking quickly, Brennan decided she needed to clarify a couple of points.

"So, your boyfriend doesn't have any reason to hurt me himself?" Brennan had meant the boyfriend bit to be sarcastic, but she either didn't do sarcasm well or Perotta was too stupid to get it. Brennan thought it was probably the latter when Perotta preened at the question.

"He does what I tell him, Dr. Brennan," _Wonderful. _ Not only was she a jealous witch, she was seriously deluded if she thought for one moment that she could control Alex Valdez. Brennan figured that if she couldn't reason with Perotta within the next couple of minutes, she had no choice but to make a run for it before Valdez showed up to check on their absence. She placed her hand gently on Perotta's forearm. Perotta jumped but didn't shrug the hand off.

"Perotta, that man is dangerous. He can't be controlled and he can't be trusted. Peyton, he will hurt you, too. And he'll enjoy it." Brennan's voice and face were earnest. She saw Perotta consider and dismiss her words. She was so convinced of her ability to control men that she refused to let herself believe this, even though she had seen flashes of violence in his eyes that scared the crap out of her. She would never admit this to Brennan, so she laughed it off.

"Dr. Brennan, you may have trouble controlling your men, but I certainly don't." Brennan went for broke.

"Fine, Perotta. If you want to stay here and play games with the creepy guy, be my guest, but I should be getting home, so I'll see you later." Perotta bent over laughing at Brennan's joke. Until she looked up and saw that Brennan was already at the bottom of the basement steps.

"Hey, you can't just leave," she yelled going after her. _Wanna bet?_ Wondered Brennan, speeding up the steps. Perotta didn't have a chance of catching her. Brennan was through the basement door and speeding across the kitchen floor, barely taking time to locate the door leading outside when a fist clenched a handful of hair and swung her around. She saw his smiling face a split second before his fist connected with her jaw and she fell to the floor, unconscious. Perotta entered the kitchen just as Brennan hit the floor. Alex turned to look at her sternly.

"Peyton, I know that I made myself clear about Dr. Brennan only being uncuffed in my presence." His tone was soft and deadly as he walked over and brushed his fingers across Perotta's cheek. She nodded and he smiled but she could see the temper in his eyes and she shivered as a chill swept over her. Seeing that he had easily gotten his point across to Petotta, he turned back to Brennan. Picking her up, he turned to carry her toward the bedroom he and Perotta had been using.

"What are you doing?" Perotta asked apprehensively.

"Exactly what you asked me to, Peyton. Taking care of your problem. And you're going to watch. That was the deal, remember?"

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The waiting was driving Booth insane. His pacing and periodic rants about whatever was on his mind at the time were driving everyone else insane. Actually, it was worry about Brennan's whereabouts and condition that had them all equally worried but no one was brave enough to say the words out loud.

Agents had checked Perotta's apartment and found it empty. There was a team there right now, going over the apartment with a fine toothed comb. If there was anything to find, they would find it. Booth was confident of that. _But, God, how long was it going to take them to find something? _ _How long did she have until one of the psychopaths that had her inflicted some serious damage?_

Without a word, he turned and strode to Brennan's office, entering and closing the door behind him. He could smell her in here and if he closed his eyes, he could almost convince himself that she was sitting at her desk working and would look up and give him her sweetest smile when she noticed his presence. His eyes drifted shut and he indulged the fantasy. He walked over to her and she stood up sliding her arms up his chest and around his neck. He wrapped his arms around her and pressed her tightly to him and it felt wonderful and right and so many other things that he couldn't even put a name to. He didn't want to but he knew he had to let the vision go. "I'll find you," he whispered before releasing her and stepping back. "I know," she said with a smile before disappearing. His eyes slowly opened and she wasn't there. He had known she wouldn't be but the pain was almost unbearable. He unsteadily made his way to her chair and sat, laying his head on her desk and praying fervently for one thing, for God to keep her safe until he found her.

Booth answered his phone to find an excited Charlie on the other end. Charlie was at Perotta's apartment and they had found a letter from an attorney about property that she was inheriting from a recently deceased relative. Did Booth want him to send someone to check it out? _Hell, no, Booth would take care of this himself._ His gut told him to get a move on. Thanking Charlie, he left Brennan's office at a run, not even slowing down when he yelled at Sweets and Black that they had a lead. If the two men hadn't caught up to him in the parking garage, he would have left them without a second thought. That was how strongly his gut was telling him to hurry. Pitching his phone to Sweets, who had taken the front seat, Booth told him to read off the directions Charlie was sending and peeled out of the parking lot, sirens and lights blaring to rescue the woman he loved.

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Brennan awoke with her hands cuffed behind her and her ankles duct taped to a straight backed chair in a bedroom she had never seen before. Her jaw hurt like crazy and she wiggled it experimentally. Not broken or dislocated, just badly bruised and swollen from the feel of her face. Her head was very fuzzy and it was apparent they had drugged her again. She was almost grateful, wondering how bad the pain would have been without the drugs. She saw Perotta perched on the bed staring apprehensively over her head. That look told her exactly where Valdez was. He slowly approached her, grabbed a handful of hair and roughly jerked her head back. She refused to give him the satisfaction of making a sound although it made her jaw throb. She glared at him. He reached out and ran his fingers lightly across the darkening bruise on her cheek and jaw.

"Why did you make it necessary for me to cause you pain, Dr Brennan? I really don't enjoy hurting beautiful women," he purred. Brennan snorted.

"Yeah, right, that's what most abusive, sadistic $$holes say to justify their actions." His hand tightened painfully on her jaw. _Crap. Maybe, she wasn't so glad about the drugs now. Looked like they were going to get her in serious trouble._ Brennan's eyes flew to Perotta when she spoke.

"Alex, why don't we just put her back downstairs for now?" Valdez never took his eyes off Brennan.

"Not now, Peyton. After all, you wanted her permanently out of your way, wasn't that your phrasing?" Brennan saw Perotta swallow hard. She looked sick. Brennan was shocked at her next words.

"I..I..I've changed my mind." Valdez did glance up then, in surprise. He shot Perotta a charming smile, "Sorry, love, doesn't work like that." His attention returned to Brennan. She blinked up at him.

"I'm with the blonde. I think you should let me go." He laughed and stroked her hair, tucking a strand behind her ear.

"Dr. Brennan, I must say I'm quite enjoying seeing this side of you. You are quite entertaining." She smiled at him hopefully.

"Entertaining enough for you to let me go?" He smiled and shook his head sadly, continuing to stroke her hair. Perotta felt physically sick. She had thought she would enjoy seeing Dr. Brennan suffer at the hands of this man but it just made her want to throw up. _Yeah,_ she decided, _she would like to get in a few licks of her own, but this had already gone too far._ It was as if she was just now seeing her own actions clearly. She had kidnapped someone for Heaven's Sakes. _What the hell had she been thinking?_ She obviously hadn't been thinking. _What was she going to do?_ She was afraid to stand up to Alex, especially after what Dr. Brennan had said but she found as much as she disliked the other woman, she couldn't be responsible for her death. She slowly stood up from the bed and started edging her way, inch by inch toward the door. Alex's head suddenly snapped up and his voice cracked coldly across the room freezing Perotta in her tracks.

"Where are you going, Peyton?" She faced him, nervously licking her lips.

"Just to get something to drink." He looked at her coldly.

"No. Sit down, Peyton." He could see her considering her options. He sighed and gave her a level look. "Peyton, don't make me come over there and sit you down. You won't like it, I promise." She returned to the bed and sat, avoiding Brennan's eyes. Brennan jerked her head away from the creep's grasp.

"Why are you doing this? She asked you to stop. Why won't you just stop?" she demanded. He looked at her thoughtfully, bringing on hand up to prop his chin on his fist.

"Have you ever been bored, Dr. Brennan?" he asked pleasantly.

"What?! You're going to kill me because you're _BORED_? Damn, Perotta, you know how to pick them just as crazy as you are!" Perotta flushed but kept her mouth shut. She was actually seeing Brennan's point. Valdez laughed and his eyes said he was serious.

"I'm not talking about every day boredom, Dr. Brennan. I'm talking about an apathy that goes all the way to your soul. Have you ever been that bored?" His voice said that he didn't believe she had. She snorted.

"You may think that makes you special, but, I've got news for you, everybody's been that bored. They just don't run away and join the circus or, in your case, a gang. Grow up, Valdez," she snapped the last sentence. She'd had just about enough of this guy. His hand tightened in her hair and his eyes narrowed. How the hell had she figured out who he was. He knew he hadn't given himself away. He wouldn't have lived for four years within one of the most brutal gangs in the country if he was that sloppy. Before he could demand to know what gave him away, Perotta broke in.

"What is she talking about, Alex? Why did she call you Valdez?" Brennan looked from Perotta to Valdez. _She didn't know who he really was. Interesting. She might be able to use this. _ If she could focus their attention on each other, it would be off of her. She couldn't get away but old octopus hands wouldn't be touching her either. In her drugged state, this sounded like an excellent idea.

"She doesn't know who you are?" raising a brow at Valdez, she asked in a very tsk tsk voice. He frowned at Brennan but spoke to Perotta.

"It doesn't matter, Peyton." If he thought the conversation was over, he was wrong.

"If you lied to me about who you are, then it certainly does matter," Perotta cried. Her eyes pleaded with him to convince her that he hadn't betrayed her. He sighed and scrubbed his hand across his face. He actually liked Peyton, as much as he was capable of liking anyone anymore. Sure, she was an amoral, tramp who traded on her body more than her brains but, really, what more could a man want? But, he had every intention of getting the rest of the information that he needed out of her and leaving her just as dead as Dr. Brennan.

"Peyton, leave it alone," he demanded harshly. She crossed her arms and glared.

"I'd be glad to introduce you, Perotta," Brennan chirped up. They both answered her at the same time.

"Yes."

"No."

"Peyton Perotta meet Alex Valdez, FBI agent turned scumbag, who disappeared…" His hand clamped over her mouth, but it was too late. Perotta easily made the connection.

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Booth turned off the siren about five miles from their destination, no need to announce their arrival, and the flashing lights about one mile out. They drove slowly down a driveway leading to the secluded house. Booth's gut was going wild, shouting that this was the right place and that he needed to hurry. He pulled the SUV off of the road into a grove of trees and jumped out to go the rest of the way on foot. He didn't want to take any chances on being spotted if Brennan was being held inside. Black and Sweets exited the vehicle and he quickly told Sweets to stay with the SUV. Sweets stubbornly shook his head, insisting that he needed to be there at the start of the confrontation, he could help. Booth finally gave in, but told the kid to stay behind him and Sweets agreed to this. Black was briefed and they moved out. There was a black SUV in the driveway, a twin to the ones provided to agents by the FBI. Booth was sure it didn't belong to Perotta. There was also a car peeking out from behind the house. Booth could only make out the color from this distance. Blue. According to the DMV records, Perotta drove a blue car. They were in the right place.

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"What?" gasped Perotta, "You're Alex Valdez? You're supposed to be dead!" He shot her a look that said, Drop it. Now. But, she was too incensed to heed the look. Something moving on the security camera caught her eye and she risked a quick look without turning her head and barely contained her gasp as she saw Booth and.. What the hell? Was that Sweets? Yep, that was Sweets practically glued to his back. She saw Black creeping up to the house on another screen. She turned her attention back to Perotta and Valdez. Booth was here to save her, she just had to keep these two occupied so they couldn't spot the rescue party.

"I asked you a question, Alex!" Perotta yelled at him. He ignored her and Brennan saw him start to turn toward the display screens. She couldn't let that happen.

"Yes, he is definitely Alex Valdez." She confirmed loudly. Valdez looked at her coldly, but his attention was on her now and not the video feed.

"Alex, I demand an answer." Perotta's voice was practically a screech and Brennan winced.

"Yeah, Alex, you should answer her before her voice starts breaking out windows." He drew back and slapped Brennan across the face so hard that her head snapped back. Luckily, it was on the opposite side that he had already punched her and didn't hurt as badly as it could have.

"Shut up," he snarled. Looking at Perotta, he snapped, "You, too." Perotta put her hands on her hips and glared at him.

"No. Is your partner still alive, too?" From the way Valdez stiffened at the question, Brennan was guessing no. So was Perotta.

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The men had reached the house. Booth and Sweets went around one side and Black the other with them meeting at the back door. Neither party had spotted anyone inside the house but they could all hear a male and a female voice raised in anger. Sweets whispered that the woman's voice was Perotta. Booth nodded, looked at Black and received a nod to indicate that he was ready. Automatically, Booth reached out and tried the door knob, already reaching for his lock picking kit with his other hand. The knob turned easily. The three men shared a look of astonishment. Pushing the door open slowly, Booth cautiously entered the laundry room with Black directly behind him and Sweets bringing up the rear. They made their way to the kitchen, sweeping the room and finding no one. They moved down a hallway directly off the kitchen toward the angry voices, none of them knowing what they would find.

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"Did you kill your partner, Alex? Is that why the disappearing act was necessary?" His eyes had turned cold, hard and menacing as he advanced on Perotta. Brennan saw his right hand slip into his pocked as he reached up and gently caressed Perotta's face.

"No, Peyton, I didn't kill Rick," he assured her softly. He leaned in to kiss her gently on the mouth. His hand was inching out of his pocket and Brennan thought the move was too measured to be anything but bad. She realized that he was withdrawing a weapon of some kind.

"Perotta, RUN!! He's got a wea.." Before Brennan could finish the sentence, Valdez drew a ten inch switchblade from his pocket, flicked it open and while holding Perotta's lips to his with a hand on the back of her neck, plunged the knife into her abdomen at her umbilicus, pulling upward until he reached her ribcage, gutting her. Perotta stiffened and made a small mewling sound but nothing else.

"Stop it, you monster!" screamed Brennan, although it was too late. Valdez removed his hand from the back of Perotta's neck and she collapsed to the floor, blood pooling around her. He turned back to Brennan with a cheerful smile.

"Your turn, Dr. Brennan." Booth, Black and Sweets were directly outside the bedroom door when they heard Brennan screaming at Valdez and they all knew that something terrible had happened from the horror in her voice. Booth and Black extended their guns at shoulder level and nodded at Sweets to try the bedroom door knob. It wasn't locked. Sweets slowly turned the knob and at Booth's nod, shoved the door open and dived for cover as he had been instructed.

Booth looked into the room and his blood ran cold. Perotta lay on the floor surrounded by a large pool of blood. Booth couldn't tell if she was breathing from his distance, but from the amount of blood surrounding her, he doubted it. Brennan was seated in a straight back chair about 12 feet away, her arms behind her back and her legs restrained with duct tape. The left side of her face was swollen and discolored, there was a hand print visible on her right cheek and she had a lump with a small cut above her right eye but she was alert and looked relieved to see him. _Thank you, God, for keeping her alive and safe_. Booth wanted to shout out his joy at seeing her but he had a few things to take care of first. The first being the psychopath standing behind her holding a switchblade to the neck he forced to arch by jerking on her hair. Booth's jaw clenched as he and Black both drew a bead on Valdez.

"Put down the knife, Valdez," he commanded in a deadly voice.

"I don't think so, Agent Booth. I don't think that would be in my best interest. Now, why don't you two put those guns down, before the lovely doctor gets hurt?" He pressed the knife in just hard enough to cause a thin red line to appear across her neck and tiny rivulets of blood to drip downward. Brennan met Booth's eyes and they had a silent conversation. It went like this:

Booth: God, Baby, I'm glad to see you!

Brennan: Me, too. Booth, you have to shoot him. He killed Perotta.

Booth: Baby, if I shoot him, his hand might slip.

Brennan: I trust you, Booth. Shoot him. Now.

Booth: Ok. I love you, Baby.

Brennan: I love you, too.

Valdez's head jerked back at the first shot, the arm holding the knife falling limply to his side and the knife clattering to the floor. He took three more shots before he hit the floor. Booth double tapped him right in the middle of the forehead and Black hit him squarely over the heart with two rounds. Booth was reholstering his weapon and moving toward Brennan before Valdez hit the floor. He dropped to his knees beside her and hugged her tightly for a moment. Not thinking about contaminating the evidence and not really caring, he grabbed the bloody switchblade and cut the duct tape from her ankles. Searching his pockets, he quickly came up with his own keys and unlocked the handcuffs. Pulling her down into his lap, he scooted backward until his back came into contact with the wall, wrapping himself around her protectively. She curled into him and clung tightly. He buried his face in her hair and gently rocked her back and forth. Neither said a word. There would be plenty to say later but right now they both had what they needed, the other safe in their arms.


	33. Chapter 33

**Thanks, everyone, for reading and keep the reviews coming. I can't know how I'm doing unless you let me know.**

**Disclaimer: Nope, still not mine.**

Booth insisted that Brennan go to the hospital to get checked out. She finally agreed but flatly refused to go in the ambulance that had been summonsed. But the ambulance didn't go away empty, it carried the lifeless bodies of ex-agents Perotta and Valdez. Booth shook his head wondering how two seemingly stable individuals working on the side of truth and justice could go so bad. He supposed it was just human nature, that we all inherently possess good and bad qualities and what it really comes down to is the choices you make. They had made really bad choices and paid for it with their lives. But, he just couldn't find it in himself to feel sympathy for the two. They had almost taken the love of his life from him. His Bones who hadn't made any bad choices, she spent her days helping him take murderers off the street and her nights loving him and she had almost paid for those good choices with her life. _Where was the cosmic justice in that?_

He drove her to the emergency room, holding her hand tightly the entire way, frequently glancing over to reassure himself that she was, indeed, there with him and not still out there with lunatics determined to hurt her. She did her own share of glancing over to reassure herself that she was with Booth. She was safe, he would never let anyone hurt her. The ER wasn't busy but it still took a couple of hours for X-rays to taken and read, her numerous bumps and bruises to be examined and the shallow cut on her throat to be cleaned and dressed. She was exhausted when they left the hospital, but Cullen had requested that they come by FBI headquarters and give statements today, so she insisted on doing just that.

Cullen was alerted to their presence by Booth yelling at the young, inexperienced agent who was trying to usher Booth and Brennan into separate interview rooms for their statements to be taken. Cullen rushed forward to intervene before Booth actually decked the kid. He looked pissed off enough to do it. Booth was standing nose to nose with the young agent, hands planted firmly on his hips, his glare hot enough to set the kids hair on fire.

"I won't tell you again, Junior, that she stays with me," he gritted through clenched teeth.

"But, sir, you know that is against regulations." _Apparently the kid had no sense of self-preservation_, thought Cullen as he approached at a clip.

"Foster," snapped Cullen just as Booth opened his mouth to blast him. Foster jumped to attention and turned to Cullen.

"Sir?"

"I'll be taking this interview." He opened the door to the interview room behind Booth and Brennan and motioned them in, together, noted Foster with disapproval written all over his face.

"But, sir.." Cullen turned and caught sight of the disapproval. His eyes narrowed and his jaw tightened, but _he had bigger fish to fry than yelling at some teenager_, he thought to himself.

"You're dismissed, Foster." Cullen turned his back and shut the door in Foster's face. He took a good look at Booth and Brennan and saw the lines of fatigue on their faces and his countenance softened. He walked over and seated himself, offering them something to drink. They both shook their heads, they just wanted this over with so they could go home and get some sleep. Cullen reached out his hand and laid it on Brennan's forearm in such an unusually affectionate gesture that it startled her into raising her eyes to his face. His smile was kind. "Dr. Brennan, I'm glad that you're all right. I know that this will be difficult for you, but I'll make it as painless as possible. Ok?" She nodded. Booth smiled at her confusion over Cullen's attitude. She thought that Cullen didn't like her and Booth hadn't had a chance to let her in on his new attitude. Cullen smiled and patted her hand in a fatherly manner.

"Ok, then, Dr. Brennan, why don't you start at the beginning and tell us what happened?" Brennan's brow furrowed as she collected her thoughts and Booth scooted his chair closer, putting his arm around her shoulders and drawing her toward him. She leaned into him gratefully, neither noticing the approving look that flitted across Cullen's face.

Ready to start, she straightened, looked Cullen in the eye and began her harrowing tale. She related how she had been contacted by a man identifying himself as Agent Pierce, who told her that Cullen had requested her presence at a scene to, hopefully, recover the bodies of the missing agents. Booth winced and fought down his feelings of guilt when she got to the part about being unable to reach him by phone and deciding to go to the scene by herself since it was urgent and Cullen was doing the requesting. Cullen had his own little guilt fest over this information. It pissed him off that Perotta and Valdez had invoked his name in their little scheme but it scared the crap out of him that Dr. Brennan had compromised her safety because she thought he had requested her immediate presence at the scene. He would make sure that never happened again for her sake and for Booth's sake. He had seen how crazy with anger, worry, fear and grief Booth had been while she had been missing and he didn't think his agent deserved to go through that ever again. And, Brennan should be more safety conscience than she currently was, but Cullen thought, sadly, that she had learned her lesson on that one already. Cullen thought it was high time for a new rule. He knew that Booth would back him on this one and thought that Brennan was too tired to fight it right now so Booth would wind up taking any heat later on. Win/ win for him. Cullen broke into Brennan's explanation.

"Dr. Brennan, I'm going to have to insist that, from now on, you always be accompanied by an agent when going to a crime scene." _Maybe, she wasn't that tired, after all, _he thought as her eyes narrowed dangerously at him. Before she could let loose on him, Booth drew her fire.

"I agree." He said tightly. Brennan turned to him with a narrow eyed glare.

"Booth, I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself…" His raised eyebrow cut her off and she flushed. _Really?_ It seemed to say. _Then what was this all about?_

"Fine." She snapped, turning back to Cullen and resuming her story as if the interruption had never taken place. She told of her irritation and amusement when Perotta had revealed herself as the kidnapper, how she had never really felt her safety was threatened until Valdez had revealed himself. She shuddered when she said his name and Booth wanted to gather her into his arms and make all of this go away, but he couldn't do that. He reached out and took her hand, intertwining their fingers and gave them a squeeze. She squeezed back. Cullen had a lot of questions about Valdez, but Brennan didn't have many answers.

"So, Valdez identified himself to you as Valdez?"

"No, he identified himself as Agent Pierce." Cullen scratched his head.

"Then how did you know who he really was?" Booth laughed when Brennan shot Cullen an Oh, please look and gave a long suffering sigh before answering.

"I recognized him." Apparently she thought the explanation sufficient, but Cullen was still confused. Booth jumped in before he could ask and irritate her further.

"Sir, even though Valdez had plastic surgery, his bone structure didn't change and that's what Bones recognized." He repeated Angela's explanation to him about Valdez's changed appearance. Brennan glanced at him, impressed and he winked at her. Cullen nodded his understanding and moved on. Brennan explained that, according to Perotta, Valdez had contacted her offering payment for information. No, she didn't know what information had been exchanged. Yes, Perotta had planned the kidnapping and Valdez had assisted her in exchange for said information. No, she didn't know where Valdez had been or what he had been doing for the last four years. Cullen and Booth exchanged glances, they had a pretty good idea, but it would have been great to get some confirmation.

"Did he say why he disappeared or why he was helping Perotta?" Brennan's eyes dropped to the table.

"He said he was bored," she whispered. Booth shot to his feet.

"_What?"_ he yelled. _"He kidnapped you, was going to kill you because he was BORED?"_ He was running both hands through his hair and pacing wishing that he had a chance to shoot Valdez all over again. Cullen spoke up, cutting his eyes to Brennan.

"Booth, sit down, please." Booth saw how Brennan had tensed at his outburst. He returned to his seat, turned to her, cupping her jaw in his hand and turned her to face him.

"Hey, I'm sorry. I was just surprised." And pissed, and a number of other things that he didn't want to get into right now. She shot him a wry grin.

"It's ok. That was pretty much my reaction, as well." Giving her swollen cheek one last caress, he removed his hand and turned back to Cullen. They needed to get this over with so he could take her home, she was fading before his eyes. Cullen saw it, too. Cullen addressed her soothingly.

"We're almost finished, Dr. Brennan, just a few more questions. Ok?" She nodded, fighting back a yawn. Booth was surprised that she hadn't already crashed. She hadn't slept well in forever and he seriously doubted that she had spent her time in captivity napping. She had vehemently refused any pain medications at the ER but the doctor had insistently pushed a prescription into Booth's hands. Booth had sent another agent out to fill the prescription while they were being interviewed and had every intention of taking her home, insisting that she take one of the pills and tucking them both in for about 24 hours. Cullen drew his attention with his next question.

"Did Valdez mention his partner?" Brennan tensed and Booth took her hand again.

"Yes." Cullen still hadn't learned that you had to ask very specific questions with his Bones. Booth jumped in to help him out.

"Did he say if his partner was dead or not?" She took a deep breath.

"Not specifically, but from his reaction I would have to deduce that his partner is deceased." She took another deep breath and horror flickered in her eyes, her hand tightening around Booth's. "Perotta asked him if he killed his partner. He denied it and then he stabbed her." Her voice trailed off to a whisper and Booth didn't care that they were in an interview room with a Deputy Director, he pulled her into his arms, murmuring soothingly when she buried her face in his shoulder.

"Are we done yet?" He demanded of Cullen. Cullen considered for a moment, but decided that they could wait until tomorrow or even the next day for any further information. He had enough to get him started and these two were at the end of their ropes.

"Yeah, Booth. We're done. Get out of here and take her home." Booth nodded gratefully at Cullen. Turning to Brennan, he pulled her to her feet.

"Come on, Baby, let's go home." He slung his arm around her shoulders and led her out of the interview room.

"But, Booth, I promised Angela that we would stop by the lab when I talked to her," she objected. Another agent came up to Booth and handed him something that he slipped into his pocket, but Brennan didn't pay any attention.

"Bones, Angela will understand. I'll call her and you can spend all day with her tomorrow." His fingers were crossed on this one. He had every intention of the both of them spending the day catching up on sleep and talking tomorrow. She considered and nodded her approval of going home. With a smile, he led her to the SUV.

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Booth was awakened by a stinging slap to his shoulder and muttered dire threats against his person. It didn't take him long to figure out what was going on. When they had entered the apartment last night, they had both made it through a long, hot shower and stumbled to bed, asleep on their feet. He had woken early, still exhausted and he knew that Brennan had to be just as tired so he had turned off the alarm and called in to work for both of them, sliding back into bed and instantly finding slumber again. It was now 9:30 he saw blinking blearily at the clock and Brennan had, apparently, just woken. And she was definitely pissed. Booth had to laugh at the disgruntled expression on her face as she attempted to climb over him to get out of bed. _Like he was going to let that happen._ He wrapped his arms around her and rolled them over, grinning down at her. She was not amused.

"Booth, what are you doing? We're late for work. Now, let me up." She shoved at his shoulders but he didn't budge, so she glared at him. He grinned back at her.

"No, Baby, we're not late for work." He placed his fingers over her mouth to stall the interruption he could see was about to happen. "I called in for both of us this morning." He gave her a stern look to tell her he wasn't done yet. She didn't interrupt but she continued to glare at him. "Baby, you were kidnapped, beaten and shot full of drugs. You can take a day off from work to recover from that. The lab will still be there tomorrow. Besides, now you get to spend the day with me doing anything you want to do." He finished his little speech with the special charm smile that he reserved for really pissed Bones and could feel her relaxing underneath him. He leaned down and brushed his lips over the darkening bruises on her cheek and jaw. Her arms slid around his neck with a sigh.

"So, we can do whatever I want today?" Booth raised his head and smiled at her.

"Sure, Baby, anything you want." She looked up at him doubtfully.

"I don't know, Booth. I'm not sure you can handle what I have in mind." His eyes narrowed and he looked a little insulted.

"Bones, I'll have you know I'm a Special Agent with the FBI. I can handle anything." He assured her. She looked skeptical.

"I don't know, Booth." He was pretty sure that she was teasing him, but he was starting to get just the tiniest bit nervous about her plans for the day.

"Why don't you just tell me what you want to do?" he cajoled. With a wicked laugh, she pulled his head down and whispered in his ear, giving the lobe a nip with her sharp little teeth. _Oh, yeah, he could definitely handle that_. With a growl that made her giggle, he set out to prove it to her satisfaction.


	34. Chapter 34

Thank you for reading. Please, please review and let me know if you like it or not.

Disclaimer: They don't belong to me.

Three hours later, they hadn't made it out of bed yet. Booth lay on his back with Brennan's head on his chest, playing with her hair and staring at the ceiling trying to figure out the best way to broach the subject he needed to discuss with her. She sighed and pushed herself up with a hand on his chest, looming over him and asked, "What's wrong, Booth?" She might have trouble reading the average person but she knew him very, very well. He brought a hand up to cup her cheek and smiled gently.

"You are so beautiful." She snorted and he laughed, pulling her down onto his chest and hugging her tightly. "I was so scared when we found your car and blood in that warehouse and couldn't find you. And then when we burst into that room and that psychopath was holding a knife to your throat." His entire body shuddered at the memory and the feelings it roused. His chin came to rest on the top of her head as she stroked her hands soothingly over his chest.

"I knew you would find me." There was such conviction in her voice that he knew she had never doubted it and he was awed and humbled by her trust and confidence in him. Now, he had to tell her why Perotta and Valdez had been able to take her in the first place.

"It was my fault that they were able to get to you in the first place." He expected her to agree with him. He didn't expect her to hoist herself back up and laugh in his face. "Hey, it's not funny. If I had been there, they would never have gotten near you," he insisted stubbornly. She cupped his face between her palms and leaned down to give him a tender, loving kiss.

"Booth, it wasn't your fault. I knew that you wouldn't like me going out by myself, but I went. I knew that something about that place wasn't right but I still went in." She was, apparently, finished. His hands were wandering over her back.

"So you're saying it was your fault?" She snorted and leaned down until her forehead rested against his.

"No, it wasn't my fault either." He looked very confused. "Booth, fault is associated with wrong doing. Neither you nor I did anything wrong. Logically, that leads me to the conclusion that Perotta and Valdez were completely at fault." She was right, Booth realized as if a light bulb had suddenly gone off in his head. He tangled a hand in her hair and pulled her down to nibble on her lips when her next question made him freeze.

"Where were you, Booth?" _Time to fess up_. He gave her a deep, thorough kiss then allowed her to pull back slightly with a sigh.

"I went to see Zach." She didn't look angry, only curious.

"I didn't know that you visited Zach." She smiled at the thought of Booth visiting Zach. Zach would like that.

"This was the first time. I went to talk to him about you, Bones." She sat up, drawing the sheet over her breasts and tucking it under her arms then drawing her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them.

"What about me, Booth?" Her voice was soft, but devoid of emotion. He raised himself to a sitting position beside her.

"About whatever has been going on with you lately, that's giving you nightmares and that you won't talk to me about." He gently brushed the hair away from the side of her face, but she didn't look at him. She was staring straight ahead.

"Did he tell you?" She merely sounded curious but tension was invading her shoulders. He scooted around in front of her so that he could see her face.

"Yes, he told me that things were bad when I was dead." He winced at his own lack of sensitivity for using that word when she shuddered and buried her face against her knees.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked softly, stroking her arm from shoulder to elbow.

"I tried to tell you, Booth. But, you didn't seem to hear me." At first, he was a little insulted at her comment, but then he realized that she _had_ tried to tell him. Not necessarily detailing her own reactions, but let him know how upset she had been with her anger and shutting him out and her visit to his bathroom (he remembered this one with a smile). And he had been so busy feeling sorry for himself because she hadn't cried at his funeral and proven to him that she felt something for him that he hadn't even noticed what she was trying so hard to show him, in her own special way.

"I'm sorry, Baby. You're right, I didn't get it then. Maybe, not even after I talked to Zach but I get it now." Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say. Her head lifted and she regarded him with a _How so_ expression. His hand moved from her shoulder to her hair, stroking and tucking it behind her ear as he put his thoughts in order.

"I was a wreck when we couldn't find you. I was driving ….." Her voice cut through his words.

"Did you think I was dead?" _God, no, he'd never once allowed his mind to even consider the possibility. _ He answered her softly.

"No, Baby. I knew we'd find you alive."

"Then you don't know how I felt. Not really." He stiffened at her words. He could see that she genuinely wasn't saying anything to be mean, she was simply stating facts, as she saw them, but still he was a little hurt that she so easily dismissed his suffering at her disappearance. But he couldn't afford to nurse hurt feelings right now, not when she seemed willing to talk to him about this for the first time. Or at least, the first time that he was aware of.

"Then tell me, Baby. Make me understand." She bit her lip and regarded him consideringly. She closed her eyes and took and released two deep breaths and when she opened her eyes, Booth saw that they were a clouded with pain. He wanted to grab her to him and tell her that she never had to think about that again but knew that if she didn't get it out she would continue to think of it. She needed to talk about her pain and he deserved to have to hear about it, being the cause and all.

"I was missing for less than two days and you never thought I was dead. I saw you shot in front of me, taking a bullet that was meant for me and was told that you were dead. For two weeks, Booth, I went through every single day thinking that I would never see your face or hear your voice again." Her voice broke and tears were streaking her cheeks. Booth drew her into his arms and she let him, burying her head against his neck and continuing. "I woke up every morning happy that I would be seeing you soon and then I remembered that I would never see you again and it seemed as if you died right in front of me again." Sobs were shaking her slender body. Booth tightened his hold and stroked her back, he listened as she talked until she was hoarse about how much losing him had hurt, about how guilty she felt, how she grieved for him, the nightmares that were so disturbing that she simply avoided sleep until Cam threatened to drug her. She was not nearly as detailed as Zach about her actual behavior during that time, but she clearly didn't remember a lot of it. She was, however, devastatingly clear on the emotions his death generated. He flinched at each word, his heart breaking with every sob, every tear that he was responsible for. He listened until his tears were mingling with hers and he was whispering a litany of _I'm sorry_ against her cheek.

_She was absolutely right_, he realized. He didn't know how she had felt. Not really. As much pain, fear and grief as he had felt when she was missing, he couldn't imagine how badly it would have hurt him if he had gotten to her too late. And he didn't want to. Nobody could possibly imagine that kind of pain without losing someone they loved, deeply. In that moment, he loathed himself. It was a wonder she would even speak to him, much less be willing to build a life with him. _He didn't deserve to have her in his life. How could she ever forgive him for causing her that kind of pain?_ He didn't think he would ever forgive himself, but he would spend the rest of his life trying to make it up to her and making sure that she was never hurt like that again, at least by him. Dropping another kiss on her cheek, he uttered his most heartfelt wish.

"I just hope that you can forgive me someday, Baby." Her head came up and she regarded him with surprise in her tear drenched blue eyes.

"I already have forgiven you, Booth." _Well, color him surprised_. More like shocked. He swiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs and looked directly into her eyes.

"How could you forgive me for that?" _Yes, he knew that it made no sense for him to question how it was possible to give him what he had just asked for_. She shrugged.

"I don't know, Booth. I don't even know when. I just know that when I was kidnapped, I didn't question that you would find me. I _trusted_ you, so I knew that I had forgiven you. Maybe, it's because I love you," she mused. Just when he thought that he couldn't love her more than he already did, she forgave the unforgivable and it felt as if his love for her doubled. Her tears had finally dried up. He couldn't resist bringing her lips to his for a kiss, trying to convey with that one kiss how much she meant to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and returned the kiss, but he could see her eyelids drooping, so he pulled back. Not very flattering that your kisses could put someone to sleep he thought with an internal grin, but she had lost out on a lot of sleep and had just been through an emotional trauma on top of a kidnapping and seeing two people killed in front of her. He twisted his body and laid back against the pillows, drawing her down with him and settling them both comfortably.

"Besides, it's not your fault," she murmured through a yawn. Somehow, he knew exactly what she was talking about.

"Then whose fault is it?"

"Sweets." Her eyelids were drooping. His mind raced back to what she had said about guilt and wrong doing and he frowned.

"Why is it Sweets fault?"

"Because he was experimenting on us." Her eyes closed and her breathing evened out, indicating that she was asleep. Booth forced himself to relax his body and his fists so that he wouldn't disturb her slumber. She needed the rest_. What the hell did she mean by he was experimenting on them?_ But he already knew. That little dweeb had deliberately inflicted severe emotional torture on the woman that he loved just so he could study her reactions. He was _so_ going to pay for that.

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Brennan left her office in irritation with Sweets trailing behind her. It had been over a week since her abduction and he refused to believe that she was coping with what had happened. Instead, he seemed to be making it his mission in life to "help" her, following her around like a puppy dog, constantly trying to get her to talk about her experiences. It was driving her insane. Until now, she had politely declined his requests for her to increase her sessions with him, but she was busy and she was finally fed up.

"Sweets!" The note of command in her voice stopped him in his tracks. "I see you more than enough already. Increasing my sessions with you offers me no benefits whatsoever. Now, go away." Her voice added _before I kill you and dispose of the body_. He went, but she knew that he'd be back. _She had already scared him away several times but he always came back_, she thought morosely.

Angela had watched this little exchange from the platform through narrowed eyes. She had been working on a little surprise for Sweets and thought that now would be the perfect time to give it to him. He needed to be taught a lesson for everything that he had done to Brennan and Booth and it would, almost certainly, distract him and get him out of Bren's hair. Win/win in Angela's estimation. Spotting Brennan headed to Limbo, she smiled. _Perfect._ Turning to Hodgins and Cam she announced, "Family meeting," and strode off the platform, heading toward her office. Hearing Cam behind her, she glanced around to see Hodgins headed toward Limbo. "Hodgie, where are you going?" she called out.

"I'm going to get Bren for the family meeting." He answered walking backward. Angela shook her head and shot him a grin that did not bode well for someone and he hoped it wasn't him that she had it in for. He was certain that it wasn't Brennan, but then why didn't she want her in the family meeting? With a mental shrug, he decided that it was just too confusing to try to figure out how Angela's mind worked. He wasn't even sure that was possible. He headed for her office to find out what was on her mind.

Angela closed her office door behind the three of them and turned to Hodgins and Cam gesturing toward the round table in the corner of her office. They looked at each other a little nervously and seated themselves at the table, waiting for Angela to state the purpose of the meeting. She gave them both a sly grin that made them more than a little nervous.

"So, I've been thinking about something for a while now…" Hodgins piped in with a question.

"Angela, why didn't you want Bren in this meeting?" he asked suspiciously. Angela shot him a disgruntled look that said she was not happy about the interruption. Then she gave him a smile and patted his hand. _Yep, she was definitely up to no good_. Hodgins leaned forward eagerly to find out exactly what that was.

"Because, Hodgie, I don't think Bren would approve of my little plan." Now Cam was the suspicious one.

"What plan, Angela?" Angela heaved an irritated sigh and looked at them both sternly. They leaned back in their chairs and motioned that she had the floor.

"As I was saying," she was smiling but they heard the implied _before I was so rudely interrupted_ and grinned at each other, "I've been thinking about something for a while now. And I think that now is the perfect time to put it into action." She was bouncing up and down in her chair in excitement. Cam and Hodgins were baffled and their looks told her so. She deflated instantly. Hodgins scratched his head, trying to think of the perfect question. Without it, they could be here for hours having a very convoluted conversation. Finally, he thought he had it.

"Ange, what plan is it that you don't think Bren will approve of?" Cam beamed at him for coming up with that question. Until she heard Angela's answer.

"That would be my plan to make Sweets suffer. I want him to feel like he has descended into the pits of hell." Her vengeful voice trailed off at the looks of shock and concern on Hodgins and Cam's faces.

"Why?" whispered Cam.

"Because he deserves it," snapped Angela, her look saying that Cam was an idiot for not already knowing this. Hodgins regained his voice after gulping a few times.

"Ange, why does he deserve it?" Angela beamed at Hodgins and Cam was a little put out that she got the idiot look for the same question.

"Because, Hodgie, he's messed with Bren one too many times already and now he won't leave her alone about the kidnapping thing. He needs to be taught how it feels for someone to mess with your life," there was pure steel in her voice, "and your mind," she added with an evil grin.

"How has he messed with Brennan's life?" Cam was at a loss. She knew that Sweets could be a pain in the butt and was eternally grateful that she wasn't required to see him on a regular basis, but this was extreme even for Angela. Angela looked at her incredulously.

"Cam, he almost got her killed by not telling her about psycho Barbie." _Ah, Angela was angry that Sweets hadn't warned Booth and Brennan about Perotta._ While Cam felt this episode called his judgment into serious question, she wasn't sure that he deserved to be plummeted to the depths of hell for this one transgression. Cam looked up to argue with Angela but Hodgins jumped in.

"What else, Ange." His eyes hadn't left her face since she dropped her little bombshell and there was something much bigger than Perotta that she thought Sweets deserved punishment for. Angela's eyes dropped to her clenched hands. She knew she had to tell them if she wanted their help, but it tore her up to even think about it. She took a deep breath and raised her head.

"Sweets didn't tell the FBI not to notify Bren that Booth wasn't dead for national security." She rolled her eyes and did air quotes around national security. "He did it so he could see how she reacted. _So that he could study her like a lab rat."_ She echoed the words she'd heard Brennan hiss at Sweets that day on the stairs. She had been furious that Sweets would do something like that but had patiently waited for Brennan and/or Booth to punish him. She had personally thought that they let him off way to easy, but when he put Brennan in danger with Perotta, she couldn't help but wonder if it was for the same purpose. To see what happened and study her reaction, especially with the way he was hounding her now. Well, he hadn't seen her real reaction to Booth's death because they had all shielded her, but Angela decided if he was that curious then he should get personally acquainted with how he'd made Bren feel. The unnatural silence that had descended on the room after Angela's announcement was broken as Hodgins regained his voice.

"_He did what?"_ he yelled. He didn't really need Angela to repeat it, he was just expressing his outrage. _How could he have deliberately put another human being through something that emotionally traumatic? It was akin to a surgeon performing open heart surgery on a patient without benefit of anesthesia just to see if it hurt. What about the do no harm oath?_ His mind whirled with a million thoughts but the clearest thing was a mental picture of Brennan, defeated and broken, and he thought that no matter what Angela wanted to do to Sweets, he deserved worse. He laid his hand in the middle of the table, palm down and looked at Angela levelly. "I'm in."

Cam had jumped up and started pacing at Angela's statement. She wrapped her arms around her middle and her jaw tightened as she remembered those horrible, awful days. She and the other squints had grieved over Booth's death, but Brennan had crawled so deeply into herself that she was not even a person anymore, merely a shell. Thank God, she had come back to them, but for those days in Limbo Cam had doubted that she would ever be a whole person again and that teenager playing at being a grownup had done that to her deliberately, to study her. With no more thought to the mental anguish he would cause than if she had, in reality, been a lab rat. That was unconscionable and completely unacceptable. Whirling, she marched back to the table and placed her hand on top of Hodgins. "I'm in." Angela placed her hand on top and they all leaned in to discuss the comeuppance of one Dr. Lance Sweets.


	35. Chapter 35

**I had a ball writing this one. I hope you guys enjoy it. Please, please, please review so I can know how I'm doing. Thanks.**

**Disclaimer: No, they're not mine.**

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Cam and Hodgins were driving Angela crazy. Despite their outrage over Sweets' actions with Brennan, they were being squeamish little weenies when it came to making him pay. From their attitude, you would think that she had suggested killing the jerk as part of her plan. That was ridiculous; she wanted him very much alive so that he could suffer. She had merely suggested that the most important person in his life be shot right in front of him and he be told they were dead whether they were or not. They had both looked at her in shock and horror but she had seen them waver for just a nanosecond when they figured out who that person was. Daisy. She had only been kidding with that one, but she still thought her kidnap and torture plan would work. He definitely deserved it and they certainly knew how to manipulate or eradicate evidence. Besides they would probably wind up assisting in the investigation. _What better way to cover up your own crime?_

She had more suggestions, but after the first two, they wouldn't even listen to her. They were both carefully formulating their own plans and they were going to present them and everyone vote when they all went to see Zach in two days. They were being all scientific and methodical and Angela was tired of waiting. So, she had put one of her little schemes into action last night. It wasn't anywhere near the whole plan, she was considering it a bonus to tide her over until the real torture began_. Sweets should be here anytime_, she thought happily, leaning against the railing on the platform scanning the floor with an eagle eye. Suddenly, she straightened, eyes widening in horror. _Crap, she had to stop him before it was too late._ She turned and flew down the step, sliding to a halt in front of Hodgins.

"Where did you get the brownie, Hodgie?" He threw the last bite in his mouth and chewed slowly. _She wasn't going to panic. It might just be a brownie._

"Out of your lab coat pocket. I saw you putting them in there this morning and I got hungry. Do you want me to get you one?"

"Thanks, Hodgie, but I can do it." She patted his arm and raced into her office, shoulders sagging when she found one brownie missing out of the left pocket. Hodgins was going to kill her.

"Angela, did you want to go out to lunch?" Sweets asked from the doorway to her office. Angela turned with a smile.

"I thought we'd just eat here. Hodgins' cook made us chicken salad sandwiches. If you'll grab us something to drink, I'll get the sandwiches and meet you on the platform."

"Sure." Sweets grinned at her and she felt just a moment's doubt about carrying out her plan, but then it passed. They leisurely ate the delicious sandwiches and chatted. Just as Sweets announced that he should be going, Angela pulled out the brownie that Hodgins hadn't eaten and handed it Sweets. His eyes widened in delight. He thanked her and said he would save it for later. That would not do. She took a brownie out of her other pocket and unwrapped it releasing that delicious chocolate scent and broke off a piece, popping it into her mouth, closing her eyes and moaning as the flavor exploded on her tongue. She opened her eyes to find Sweets staring. That last little bit had been unintentional, but, damn, Henry could make really great brownies. She gestured toward the one in Sweets' hand.

"Come on, Sweets, live a little. I guarantee these are the best brownies you've ever tasted." He unwrapped his brownie and took a huge bite, chewing with pleasure, then scarfed down the rest of the dessert quickly.

Hodgins was working on the platform and casting frequent glances toward the clearly visible Angela and Sweets. What was she up to? He seriously doubted that she had suddenly decided to forgive Sweets and make him her new BFF, but that's what it looked like. She had been mercilessly hounding him and Cam for the last few days to get it in gear and start the Sweets torture then suddenly backed off yesterday, smiling and saying she could wait when he questioned her about the attitude change. He watched her encourage Sweets to consume the brownie and felt just a twinge of uneasiness. _Nah, she wouldn't. Besides, Henry had baked the brownies. She couldn't have possibly done anything to them. Right?_

_Wrong,_ he thought 20 minutes later when the first abdominal cramp hit him. He rubbed his abdomen and thought that it was just an anomaly. For about 30 seconds. By then, he was bent at the waist, clutching his stomach. _Oh, God, he had to get to the bathroom. _ He tried to straighten up, but realized that was not going to happen. So, he started sort of shuffling his feet because he couldn't possibly take normal steps and keep his butt cheeks clenched at the same time. As the cramping increased, so did the speed of his shuffling until he was doing this odd little bent over, butt cheek clenched slide across the floor. Everyone who saw him coming cleared the way and he made it. Barely. Thirty minutes later he left the bathroom in a semi erect posture and went in search of one Ms. Angela Montenegro.

She met him halfway across the floor. Which was good because his stomach was starting to twinge again. He knew he didn't have time for a long conversation, so he got right to the point.

"How much did you use, Angela?" She looked away and mumbled the answer so softly that he had to ask her to repeat it. His tone was sharp and her head shot up.

"Eight times the recommended dosage." He had no trouble hearing that one, just believing it.

"Angela, what the hell were you thinking. You could kill somebody." She rolled her eyes.

"Oh, please, Hodgins, it's not a lethal dose. I asked Cam to make sure."

"_Cam was in on this?"_ He was incredulous.

"No, I just asked her when she was busy so she wouldn't catch on." Sometimes her deviousness scared him a little.

"Angela, how could you let me eat that brownie?" Her eyes narrowed and her hands went to her hips.

"Now, hold it right there, I had nothing to do with that." Hodgins opened his mouth to argue the point, but was suddenly bent over clutching his stomach, his thoughts focused on getting to the bathroom. _He didn't have much time_. As he was shuffle/sliding away, Angela called after him, "You know, Hodgie, it's not really polite to take other peoples food without asking." He was _so_ going to kill her. When he could stay out of the bathroom. And walk fully upright. Ok, so maybe she still had a while to live.

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Hodgins was out of work for a day and a half and had not spoken to Angela since she told him it wasn't polite to take peoples food without asking. She could live with that. She had apologized several times but felt that she was not fully to blame and she knew that he would eventually get over it. Besides she had learned a valuable lesson. She had asked Cam if 8 times the recommended dosage of a laxative was a lethal dose. Apparently, there is no lethal dosage of laxatives. It's the electrolyte imbalances that will cause complications and kill you, Cam explained after the fact. Angela considered that very need to know info and was more than a little put out that Cam hadn't shared. _So, next time she would just be more specific with her questions,_ she decided.

She was also bummed that she hadn't actually gotten to see Sweets suffer. But she had seen Hodgins do enough of his "jump and run" as she was secretly calling it in the last 36 hours to be able to substitute Sweets in her mind and she was able to pass some time giggling at the sight. _Well, well, well, speak, or in this case think, of the Devil and he will appear._ Sweets walked into her office. He looked awful. He was pale and sweating a little and had a brace on his left wrist. He flopped into the chair in front of her desk as if the walk across the room had tired him out. Angela leaned forward with her elbows braced on her desk.

"Wow. Sweets, you look awful. Were you in an accident?" She nodded toward the brace on his wrist.

"What? No, no accident." He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the chair.

"So, have you been sick." His face flushed beet red.

"I've had some, um, um, stomach, um, issues?" he stuttered. Angela propped her chin on her fist and tried to look interested instead of gleeful.

"Really?"

"Did you not get sick after we had lunch the other day?" He looked a little suspicious.

"Nope, I feel great."

"Hmm, I was sure it was something from our lunch, but I guess not." Now, he looked thoughtful.

"Well, now that you mention it, Hodgins had a few stomach issues, too." His face instantly went red again and Angela stifled a giggle.

"So, it could have been something from our lunch?" He sat forward as if the answer was very important to him. Angela shrugged as if she had no clue.

"I guess. Although, the only thing that we all ate was the brownies and I didn't get sick, so it was probably just a virus or something." He regarded her closely for a long second before nodding his agreement. Smiling, she nodded toward his wrist. "So, what happened to your wrist?" He looked down and blushed. Angela perked up. This should be interesting or, at the very least, some fun.

"I, oh, I, um, sprained it in the, um, middle of the, um, night." Angela gave a husky laugh that brought his head up.

"Reeeaaallllyyy?" she drawled. His eyes narrowed.

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean, Angela." She gave another laugh and made an obscene gesture with her own hand to indicate the activity she thought had caused his wrist sprain. He stared at her in open mouthed shock, then jumped to his feet, face flaming.

"For God's Sakes, Angela." He exclaimed, pacing in front of her desk and rubbing his hand over his head repeatedly.

"What? It's nothing to be ashamed of. Most people do it," she assured him perkily. Then looked at him doubtfully, "Although, most people don't do it enough to sprain their wrist."

"Do what?" Brennan asked, walking into the room. Angela was very pleased to see her. She felt sure that Brennan would liven up this conversation. Angela relaxed back into her chair and clasped her hands on her stomach, surveying the room with amusement. Grinning at Brennan, she repeated the gesture that had upset Sweets. His face heated up again. Brennan raised a brow at Angela but pointed to Sweets.

"So, Sweets sprained his wrist masturbating?" Sweets went even redder and Angela couldn't hold back her giggles. Brennan was just so serious, it was hilarious. She and Sweets answered Brennan at the same time.

"Yep."

"NO!" Brennan slipped both hands into her lab coat pockets and turned to Sweets with a very earnest look on her face.

"Sweets, overuse of any joint can cause sprains or more serious or permanent injuries. Perhaps you should consider the use of a masturbatory aid if you require that many releases." Angela had actually fallen out of her chair laughing. Sweets was glow in the dark red and completely at a loss for words. He turned and stomped out of the room.

"I was just trying to help you, Sweets," Brennan yelled at his retreating back. The funny thing is that she really was just trying to help. Angela still found it hilarious.

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The family meeting with Zach did not go exactly as expected. First he told them about Booth coming to see him and what information he had relayed to the agent. He then informed them that if they felt that he had violated the trust that Dr. Brennan had placed in him and felt it necessary to eject him from the family unit as punishment for his transgression, he would understand. The other three people in the room had looked at the brilliant young man in front of them with tears in their eyes. Cam and Hodgins had both reached out and put a hand on one of Zach's. Angela got up, walked around the table and wrapped her arms around his neck from behind. Hodgins spoke for all of them.

"That's the thing about family, Zach. Once you're in, you're in for life. So, sorry, dude, but it looks like you're stuck with us forever." None of them would ever forget the relief or joy that filled Zach's face in that instant.

"So, what is this family meeting about?" Zach needed to know details to be of any assistance. It was just the way his brain worked. Angela took over.

"We need to decide what we're going to do to Sweets as punishment." _Whoa._ Zach really didn't want to mess with Sweets since he had information that Zach would prefer he not share.

"Punishment for what, Angela?" By the time Angela finished her explanation, Zach didn't care what Sweets knew about him. Angela was right, nobody messed with their family and Sweets had gone too far. Zach began to methodically assess the possibilities. "Do you wish to cause him general discomfort or permanent physical disability?" Angela beamed at Zach. Cam and Hodgins thought it would be a very bad idea for Angela and Zach have any alone time whatsoever. They didn't even want to know what the two could come up with together. Hodgins fielded the question.

"Somewhere in between there, Zachie boy." Zach nodded then his eyes narrowed.

"What does Dr. Brennan want to do? After all, she is the injured party. Don't you think we should accede to her wishes?" The other three avoided his eyes.

"Hodgins, where is Dr. Brennan?" _Damn, he would have to zero in on him_. With a sigh, Hodgins lifted his head and met Zach's eyes.

"She doesn't know anything about this, Zach."

"Why not?"

"Bren's not like us, Zach. Even though Sweets did something awful to her, she won't do anything back to him." Angela took over the explanation, but she realized that Brennan _was _very much like one of them. Zach. Maybe they should just insist that he sit this one out.

"Then, perhaps, that is what we should do. Nothing."

"No." Three voices sounded at once. They looked at each other and grinned. All three had doubted the advisability of continuing with this course of action for the last few days, but it seemed they had all reached the same conclusion. It had to be done.

"Zach, if you don't want to be involved, it's ok." Cam made the offer for all three. Zach was torn. His hyper rational brain told him that revenge served no useful purpose, but that rational part of himself had landed him in the loony bin so he wasn't sure just how reliable it was. Perhaps he could offer technical assistance. After all, his mobility was severely restricted at the moment. He looked up to find the other three staring at him.

"No, I'll do what I can to help. We could always lock him up here in the loony bin for a few days. I don't think he would like it." Hodgins grinned at the rare appearance of Zach's sense of humor, then glanced worriedly at Angela when he noticed the speculative gleam in her eye. She turned toward Zach.

"Could you really do that, Zach? Make sure that he was locked in here for a few days?" Zach nodded and Angela leaned forward eagerly. Cam quickly intervened.

"Angela, that's probably not a good idea. He would know who had done it and Zach would get in more trouble." Angela's shoulders slumped dejectedly. She had really liked the idea of Sweets being locked up for a few days. She could just see him running around telling all the staff that he was a psychologist. They would roll their eyes, reply "Sure you are, Buddy," and sedate him. Not quite ready to let the images go, she leaned in toward Zach and patted his arm.

"We'll talk later," she whispered. Not if Cam and Hodgins could help it.

"Surely the three of you have some ideas? Perhaps, you could share those with me and I could expand on them or determine the correct parameters to assure success." Angela looked confused and Hodgins explained.

"He means work out the details, Ange." His face took on a disgruntled look and he leaned toward Angela with a glare. "So that _the plan_ works on Sweets and only on Sweets." She leaned in, her expression matching his.

"That was not my fault, Hodgins," she answered through clenched teeth. Zach's eyes were bouncing back and forth as if he was watching an exciting game of tennis. Hodgins was still just a wee bit upset about the results of Angela's previous plan and in complete disagreement about where the fault lay.

"Well, it certainly wasn't mine, Angela. You almost killed me," he whined. Angela rolled her eyes. Zach was beginning to look concerned and Cam knew she should break this up, but she was too busy trying to stifle laughter at the picture of Hodgins' hunched over bathroom shuffle that kept popping into her head. She felt bad that he had suffered, but that little walk was just about the funniest thing she had ever seen in her life. Angela rolled her eyes.

"Oh, please, Jack." She leaned in closer, narrowed her eyes and spoke in a chilling whisper, "Believe me, Hodgie, if I wanted you dead, you'd be dead." Hodgins' head snapped back with a gasp. He almost believed her. Luckily, Zach intervened before things could escalate.

"Angela, why would you try to kill Hodgins?" Angela snorted.

"I didn't try to kill Hodgins, Zach. He interfered with my bonus plan for Sweets." Hodgins opened his mouth to argue her choice of words, but Zach had more questions.

"And was your plan successful?" Angela and Hodgins answered simultaneously. Cam just shrugged.

"YES!"

"NO!" Angela and Hodgins turned toward each other, arguing and Zach looked at them, helpless and confused. Cam was getting a headache.

"People!" she yelled. She smiled at the instant silence in the room. _She still had it_. "All this," she waved her arms around, "was supposed to be about teaching Sweets a lesson. So far, the only thing it's done is put us at each other's throats. That stops now or I'm out." The other three looked at each other consideringly. Cam was right. They nodded their agreement to her demand. She gave them a regal nod back, clasped her hands together on the table, and continued. "So, who wants to put their plan on the floor first?" Angela raised her hand, bouncing up and down in her chair.

"I do, I do." Cam and Hodgins didn't even look at each other as they shot her down.

"No." Her face and hand fell. Zach patted her on the back. He wasn't sure why, it just seemed like the right thing to do. He was pleased when she turned to smile at him.

"I'll go first, then," offered Cam. She placed her elbows on the table and leaned forward. "Ok, I've been thinking about the emotional torture that Sweets put Brennan through and I think I've found a way to return the favor." Three interested faces gazed back at her. "I was able to get my hands on his medical records and he has a complete physical scheduled for next week." She sat back and looked at three confused faces. She sat forward again and smiled slyly. "Do you people have any idea how many devastating, degenerative diseases that are out there with no specific test to confirm their presence?" Angela and Zach still looked confused but Hodgins was starting to smile. Zach, being Zach, needed more information.

"So you're saying that we should give Sweets some horrible disease that can't be confirmed by the doctor?" His reluctance was plain in his voice. Cam's grin turned evil.

"No, Zach, I'm saying that we give Sweets the _symptoms _of some horrible disease that can't be confirmed by the doctor." Zach looked more comfortable with that scenario and Angela looked a little disappointed. She leaned forward.

"Like what?" she asked eagerly. Cam shrugged.

"Take your pick. Sweets' hereditary history is very sketchy, so it could be almost anything." Angela's eyes gleamed with satisfaction at the emotional pain this plan would cause Sweets, then dimmed when doubt hit her.

"But how do we give him symptoms of something he doesn't have?" Cam looked a little worried at the question. Obviously, that was one point of her plan that hadn't yet been worked out, but Hodgins smiled broadly.

"I think I have an idea and it ties in perfectly with my plan." His grin was practically splitting his face open. "I bought the apartment building Sweets lives in last week." He sat back with satisfaction and rolled his eyes when three confused faces looked at him. "I'm taking the building co-op and the kid doesn't have the money to buy in." Angela and Cam grinned and Angela explained to Zach who had no idea what that meant.

"It means that Sweets will get evicted, Zach." While Zach could see how that would be annoying, he didn't really see a serious plan behind it.

"But won't he just find another apartment?" Hodgins grinned and leaned back in his chair, extending his legs and crossing his arms over his stomach.

"Not if I buy every apartment that he wants to move into." The other three paused for a moment. Cam and Angela awed at the thought of having the financial resources to enact this plan. Zach a little envious of the deviousness of the way Hodgins' mind worked. He felt he needed to contribute and his mind whirled to come up with something. Suddenly, he had it.

"My grandfather had Parkinson's disease." He blurted. Cam looked thoughtful and then nodded.

"Good idea, Zach." Zach's chest swelled with pride at the praise. "Fairly easy symptoms to mimic. There is a new test for Parkinson's but it is still experimental and highly unreliable, so even if Sweets' doctor runs the test, he won't have a definitive answer. I like it." Cam reached over and squeezed Zach's forearm and he beamed. Angela liked it, too, but she didn't see how they were going to pull it off and she was getting worried.

"I like both plans, but, Hodgie, how can we possibly know where Sweets is planning on moving? And Cam, how can we give him symptoms of this disease? And I want to help, too." She whined, dropping her head to the table to rest atop her crossed arms. Hodgins leaned forward and stroked her hair.

"Hey, Baby, I've got that covered." Angela's head came up and she eyed him suspiciously.

"How?"

"That's actually the best part. You get to be Sweets new BFF." Angela's eyes narrowed then a slow, evil smile spread across her face.

"Explain," she demanded. All four leaned forward until they were in a huddle atop the table.

"Ok, Ange, you will offer to go apartment hunting with Sweets." Angela's smile widened. They might not be using her plan but she was beginning to really like this one. After all, what could be better than seeing Sweets suffer up close and personal. Cam had something to add.

"And in your position as a close friend, it would be remiss of you not to point out these symptoms of Parkinsons." _And cause them, if necessary_, Cam added silently. Angela was now one happy camper until a cloud appeared on her horizon.

"How do we keep Bren and Booth from noticing what's going on?" Cam and Hodgins both scoffed at the idea that either would catch on. They were all so engrossed in their scheming that they didn't notice Zach stiffen and his eyes widen. He cleared his throat to get their attention. They ignored him.

"Um, guys," No response. He cleared his throat more loudly.

"Guys!" They still ignored him. Time to get serious.

"HODGINS!" Hodgins' head came up.

"_What?!"_ Zach leaned in and whispered.

"Agent Booth already knows." The other three scoffed. Until they noticed Zach's wide eyed stare over their heads and all three gulped and slowly turned to see one Special Agent Seeley Booth casually leaning against the wall just inside the door of the room, arms crossed over his chest regarding them all with a raised eyebrow.

"Hi ya, Squints," he greeted with a smile as he pushed away from the wall and ambled toward the table. Cam, Hodgins and Angela looked at each other in panic, but Zach appeared unruffled.

"Hello, Agent Booth. It's nice to see you again." The other three looked at Zach in disbelief, frantically trying to think of some way to find out how much Booth had overheard without just coming out and asking him.

"You, too, Zach." Booth smiled at the young man and then turned a steely gaze to the other three, standing at the end of the table and crossing his arms over his chest.

"Where's Bren?" Angela burst out, looking around as if she expected her friend to suddenly materialize at Booth's side. Booth shot her a look of amusement at the stalling tactic.

"She's not with me today, Angela. I just stopped by to thank Zach for his help and she was busy at work." Plus, he had wanted to have a private conversation with Zach. Zach beamed at the thought of being of assistance to Booth. "Now, would you three care to explain exactly what it is that you're plotting?" Angela shook her head. Hodgins gave a mumbled "No." Cam heaved a defeated sigh and Zach was just glad that he wasn't being included as a co-conspirator.

"How much did you hear?" Cam finally asked, biting her lip. _Not much_, she hoped. While nothing they were planning was illegal, it certainly didn't show any of them in a very flattering light. And, even though she and Booth were no longer romantically involved, she would hate to lose the respect of a friend. She would hate it even worse if he ratted them out to Brennan. She had an idea that there would be major fallout if that happened. Booth sat down and suddenly grinned at the assembly, causing all four some major confusion.

"Oh, not much. Just that Hodgins bought himself a new apartment building. Congratulations there, bug man." Booth wanted to burst out laughing at the looks on the four other faces around the table. They had no idea what he was up to and were afraid to ask. He decided to put them out of their misery. After all, nothing he had overheard was illegal and it wasn't like Sweets didn't deserve to suffer. Plus these four had been the ones to comfort and protect his Bones when he wasn't around to do it. They had seen the suffering that Sweets put her through and if they wanted a little payback for that, he was feeling magnanimous enough to let them have some fun. He leaned back in his chair crossing one ankle over the opposite knee and linking his fingers across his stomach. "Real shame about the kid having to move," he said with false sympathy, shaking his head, "when he's already having such a bad week." Angela perked right up.

"How is Sweets having a bad week?"

"Seems his car got towed over the weekend and the guys at the impound lot can't seem to locate it." Angela's smile was gleeful, especially since she could tell that Booth wasn't finished with the bad news. "Then twice this week, his security clearance to the Hoover building has been mysteriously rescinded. He was escorted from the building by armed guards both times." Booth couldn't hide a small smile at the memory. That one had cost him, but the sight of Sweets being dragged out of the building, sputtering that this was a mistake was worth it.

"Hey, man, we had nothing to do with that." Hodgins quickly assured Booth, still not quite understanding. But Cam got it and a huge smile spread across her face. Booth was telling them that he wouldn't interfere with their plans. In fact, unless she missed her guess, Booth had a few plans of his own regarding Sweets. Cam put a hand on Hodgins arm and shook her head at him when he opened his mouth to continue. And, suddenly, he got it, as well, grinning at Booth. Angela had caught on long before the others and was just enjoying the thought of Sweets suffering. Zach, as usual, didn't have a clue. Booth looked around the table at his and Brennan's "family" and was thankful for each and every one of them. To know that they all cared for his Bones enough to exact retribution on her behalf choked him up.

"Well, as much fun as it is hanging out with the squint squad, Bones will be ready to go home." He stood and gave them all a very serious, very stern look, zeroing in on Cam. "Nothing illegal or I'll have to shut you down." She nodded. She agreed. They wouldn't do anything that they could be prosecuted for. Booth's hands gripped the back of the chair and he leaned forward. "And Cam, leave Zach out of this." She nodded. She knew he was right, they never should have brought Zach in on this, they just wanted him to know he was still an important part of their family. Booth's gaze went to Angela and then Hodgins to receive their nods of agreement. Surprisingly, Zach was the one to object.

"But, Agent Booth, I want to help!" he insisted. Booth walked over and clasped his shoulder.

"Zach, you're already in enough trouble and Bones wouldn't like you being involved in this." Zach considered the statement and the thought of Dr. Brennan being displeased was enough to convince him to go along with Booth. He had already caused Brennan enough disappointment and pain; he didn't want to be responsible for more. He nodded his agreement. Booth patted him on the shoulder with an open palm, twice and Zach beamed. Booth turned and left the room whistling while the other three engaged Zach in general conversation. They still had more details to work out about Sweets but they would do that later, somewhere more appropriate. Right now they would just enjoy time with a dear friend that they all missed daily.


	36. Chapter 36

**I know this is probably not what everyone is expecting. It was a surprise to me as well. I could only gape and ask Musie what the heck did she think she was doing, but so far she has refused to explain herself. I hope you like it.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

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Brennan stood on the platform of the Medico-Legal lab of the Jeffersonian closely examining the remains carefully laid out before her on the stainless steel table, verbalizing her findings for Wendell to record. She had found that allowing her students to visualize and then record the injuries to a body, thus reinforcing the information, to be a very effective teaching method. Wendell leaned closer when she pointed out an as yet unidentified wound to the upper inner aspect of the femur. He peered at it closely, nodded and went back to his writing.

Brennan used Wendell's distraction to glance surreptitiously across the room to where Angela stood talking and laughing with Dr. Sweets. She had noticed a few days earlier that the two seemed to be spending a lot of time together. At first, she was confused and a little amused to see Sweets preen like a peacock from Angela's attention. She privately thought that Angela was playing a joke on Sweets and that it was nothing to worry about. Then Angela cancelled a girl's night out with her to go apartment hunting with Sweets. She sat up and took notice and she didn't like what she saw. Not one little bit.

_Angela had replaced her with freaking Lance Sweets_. This was the only logical explanation Brennan decided after reviewing the data she had collected over the last few days. Angela was avoiding her and appeared to have become attached at the hip to Sweets. Brennan had racked her brain trying to remember anything that she could have said or done to offend the artist and came up blank. She knew that she could be abrupt and even rude without realizing it, but her best friend usually confronted her immediately when she did something like that.

Angela hadn't said anything to her. In fact, Brennan had tried to talk to her about it several times and Angela always found something urgently requiring her attention elsewhere and rushed off with a look of relief on her face. Brennan was hurt by her actions and mentioned it to Booth. He gave her a reassuring hug and told her that Sweets could never replace her with any of the squints or him and he was sure it was nothing to worry about, then distracted her with a couple of rounds of hot sex. She was curious and confused about what was going on before, but when Booth started trying to distract her, she got worried. Obviously something was going on that none of the others wanted her to know about and that was unacceptable, in her opinion. After all, they were all family and family shouldn't shut one another out. Every time she tried to question Booth, he dodged her questions and dragged her off to bed, which left them tired and very satisfied but did nothing to alleviate her concerns. So, she decided that she was on her own with this one and began to closely observe everyone when Sweets was around.

She was surprised by what she saw to say the least. Actually, she was horrified to see that Cam and Hodgins were having much more frequent interactions with Sweets than was the norm. They were also showing an unusual amount of friendliness, even warmth to him and avoiding her when she tried to question them about what was going on. They appeared to be bringing him into their little family without bothering to consult her for her opinion. _How could they do that to her? She had trusted them and they were now welcoming the man who had hurt so deeply that she didn't think she could ever fully forgive him into the fold with open arms. They don't know what he did, _insisted her conscience. But she couldn't tell them now. If she did it would seem like a calculated act of jealousy or vengeance and she wouldn't do that. _She had no choice but to stand helplessly by and watch while Sweets became her little brother,_ she told herself with disgust.

So, she did what she always did when something was emotionally overwhelming for her. She began to withdraw. She stopped smiling and laughing with her co-workers and they didn't even seem to notice. This hurt her and she withdrew even more, speaking to them only when spoken to and spending all her time either on the platform, in her office or in Limbo, simply doing her job and having little to no interaction with her "little family" as she now thought of them. If Sweets entered a room, she immediately exited it and, again, they didn't notice. If they hadn't been so focused on punishing Sweets, Angela and Hodgins would have realized that the Dr Temperence Brennan that they were now seeing daily was the one from four years ago, not the one she had evolved into. But, they were so focused on avenging her that they were inadvertently causing her a great deal of emotional pain. They would have been horrified to know this but she wasn't about to tell them. She had made numerous efforts to talk to them and they had shut her down every time. Right now, she wasn't even sure that she cared what they had to say. Cam finally realized that something was very wrong when Brennan called into work for the second day in a row.

In the time that Cam had been at the Jeffersonian, Brennan had never taken a day off. She had worked sick, injured and even refused to take any time off when she had been shot. Cam immediately called a family meeting and followed Angela and Hodgins into her office, closing the door behind her. Hodgins and Angela looked at her questioningly, patiently waiting for her to explain the reason for the meeting.

"Brennan just called in for the second day in a row." Angela and Hodgins both threw her looks of disbelief.

"That's impossible, Cam. Bren doesn't miss work. She wouldn't even take the rest of the day off when she got shot for God's sakes." Angela insisted. Cam gave her a level look.

"Angela, she called in yesterday. Didn't you even notice that she wasn't here?" Angela was ashamed to admit that she had not.

"I was apartment hunting with Sweets most of the day, setting up our plan, so forgive me if I was a little distracted." She defended herself, but she knew that she had been avoiding Brennan deliberately in an effort to make sure that she didn't figure out what they were up to and put a stop to it. _Had her obsession with punishing Sweets gotten to the point that she didn't even notice when her best friend did something so out of character like missing work?_ Before the Sweets thing she would have been calling or off like a shot to visit Brennan to find out what was wrong and now she didn't even notice. _What the hell was wrong with her?_ Hodgins broke into her internal self-flagellation.

"I know it's unusual for her to miss work, Cam, but maybe she's just sick." Hodgins was a little ashamed of himself for hoping that the explanation was that easy. He knew that they had all been avoiding Brennan to a certain extent and he suddenly saw how their actions could be interpreted by someone who wasn't very adept at reading people. He groaned and dropped his head into his hands as what Brennan must be thinking washed over him with a certainty he rarely felt. He felt that he had special insight into her psyche after their being buried together. Not as much as Booth, but enough to know that it must have looked like the people who had promised to be there for her were replacing her with the person that had caused her the worst emotional pain of her entire life. She had to be feeling hurt and betrayed and they hadn't even noticed. _What the hell was wrong with them?_ Angela and Cam looked at Hodgins, certain that he'd just had an epiphany, but were almost afraid to ask. Finally, Cam gathered her courage and prepared to hear the worst, and that is exactly what happened.

"What, Hodgins? Do you know what's wrong with Brennan?" Hodgins lifted his head and smiled mirthlessly.

"Yeah, Cam, I think I know what's wrong, but I hope to hell that I'm wrong. Because if I'm not we have just screwed up big time." He shook his head in disgust. Cam and Angela looked at each other, both with some idea of what Hodgins was thinking but each unwilling to admit it. Cam began to recall Brennan's behavior over the last week or so and knew that they had definitely screwed up big time. They had inadvertently hurt the person they were trying to protect. She now saw clearly how hurtful their avoidance of Brennan must have been, how she must have felt that her family that had promised to be there for her always was betraying her or worse, replacing her with someone whom she had to be harboring a great deal of anger and resentment toward. _What the hell was wrong with them? How had teaching Sweets a lesson turned into such a mess?_ Although Cam was sure of what Hodgins would say, she needed to hear it out loud.

"What do you think, Hodgins?" Hodgins leaned back into the chair he had dropped into and looked at Cam, his face full of self disgust.

"I think that Brennan probably feels like the people she put her trust in have betrayed her in an unforgivable way." His voice was soft and filled with sadness. Angela covered her mouth with both hands to hold back the sobs trying to escape. She knew that Hodgins was right. So did Cam and tears flooded her eyes at the thought of how much pain they must have caused Brennan in their zeal to extract revenge. Nothing they did to Sweets could be as hurtful as what they had just done to a friend. They all just looked at each other. _How could they possibly fix this one?_

" What are we going to do?" whispered Angela. They were all startled when a deep voice answered from the vicinity of the door.

"You're going to stop your little vendetta. You are also going to come with me and explain all of this to Bones." Booth stood just inside the door with a look of concern on his face. He had known that something was going on with Brennan. Over the last few days she had gotten quieter and quieter, more withdrawn and just smiled sadly at him when he asked what was wrong. When she hadn't gone into work yesterday, he was shocked but shrugged it off. If anyone deserved a day off, it was her. But when she informed him that she wasn't going in today, he had confronted her and was stunned speechless when she told him that she wasn't sure she wanted to continue working at the Jeffersonian, that she didn't feel like her expertise was being fully utilized and she had been contacted with a couple of job offers that she was considering over a few days. She had decided to take the days off from work to give the offers her full attention. Booth wasn't surprised that she had received job offers, that happened almost every day. He was surprised that she would even consider leaving the Jeffersonian. That alone told him that whatever was going on was very bad and he'd better fix it pronto.

He had headed straight to the Jeffersonian and had overheard most of the conversation between the squints. His mind whirled and his gut tightened when he understood exactly what had been bothering Brennan. He also realized that he was just as guilty as the three standing in front of him. No, he hadn't physically avoided her, but he hadn't answered her questions, choosing to distract her with sex. _What the hell was wrong with him?_ She was in emotional pain and his answer was to drag her off to bed every chance he got. They would all be lucky if she ever spoke to them again. Sighing, he ran his hand around the back of his neck and looked at the other three.

"We're all responsible for this, but it stops now. Agreed?" Three heads nodded in unison. Cam broke the uncomfortable silence with an attempt at levity.

"Maybe it's not as bad as we think." She said hopefully and smiled weakly until Booth burst her bubble by sharing something.

"She's at home right now considering job offers, Cam. Trust me, it's bad." Angela gasped at the thought of Brennan leaving the Jeffersonian and going only God knows where.

"How did this happen?" she whispered. Hodgins was the man with the answers today.

"We enjoyed messing with Sweets so much that we forgot why we were doing it in the first place." The other three nodded their agreement knowing that he was right. Angela threw a stricken look at Booth.

"Can we even fix this, Booth?" Booth looked a little scared himself that this was unfixable and the others became even more aware of how bad this was.

"I don't know Angela, but we are sure as hell going to try. Now, are you all ready to go?" They all nodded and started out the door, each consumed by guilt and remorse and praying that Brennan could find it in her heart to forgive them for screwing up so royally.


	37. Chapter 37

Booth quietly opened the door to the apartment, slipping inside after giving the squints a warning look to be quiet and wait until he gave them the all clear to come in. He needed to talk to Brennan first and gauge how she was going to respond before she was hit with the whole crew groveling for forgiveness. He found her in the living room, gazing out the window thoughtfully holding a steaming cup of tea. He entered the room quietly, but she heard him and turned her head giving him a quizzical look.

"Booth, what are you doing home? You should be at work."

"I need to talk to you." He took the tea out of her hands and led her to the sofa seating them side by side and placing her tea on the coffee table. She turned to him with more than a hint of anxiety in her expression.

"Booth, is something wrong? What happened?" To stop the flow of words and because he was so afraid that it would be the last time she would let him touch her like this, he cupped her face in both hands and leaned down giving her what was meant to be a light kiss. When she opened her mouth and slid her arms around his neck, he growled deep in his throat and deepened the kiss, his tongue sweeping past her lips to enter and explore her mouth. He was kissing her with something akin to desperation; Brennan realized and pulled back slightly with Booth following her mouth to draw her back in. She knew that something was wrong. It wasn't like Booth to act like this and as much as she wanted to just go on kissing him, she cupped his face in her hands and broke the kiss, looking into his eyes. His eyes were a dark chocolate brown filled with desire and love. She gave him a level look.

"Booth, please tell me what's wrong. You're starting to scare me here." He leaned his forehead against hers and just gazed into her eyes after stealing one last kiss.

"I'm sorry, Baby. I didn't mean to scare you. I just need to talk to you." He stopped and even though she looked at him quizzically, he had no idea how to proceed. She found it necessary to prompt him.

"What do you need to talk to me about?" There was just a hint of anxiety in her and she braced herself as if she was expecting bad news but the face she turned to him was calm and impassive. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and bit the bullet.

"We need to talk about what's been going on for the last week or so." She was stiff as a board as soon as the words left his mouth, arms crossing over her chest and avoiding his eyes. It was beyond obvious that she didn't want to talk about this but, unfortunately, they had no choice. Her eyes went to her hands which were lying in her lap with fingers linked.

"Are you going to betray me, too, Booth? Are you going to leave me?" She whispered the questions and they hit Booth like a punch in the gut, almost taking his breath at the tone of her voice. It said that everyone betrayed her, left her and she was just waiting for it to happen. Booth's anger and disgust with himself grew to new proportions. He had been having fun tormenting Sweets and hadn't even realized that Brennan was feeling like everyone around her was betraying her. She was just waiting for him to take his turn. Hell, who could blame her. With her background, it was a miracle that she hadn't just taken off when things got tough, but she hadn't. She was still here. That thought gave him hope that he and the squints could earn her forgiveness. His heart breaking for the pain they had caused her, he raised her face to his with a hand under her chin and gave her a look that he hoped conveyed his love and commitment to her and to them.

"No, Baby, I'm not going to betray you. I love you, Brennan, and I will never, ever leave you. I plan on spending the rest of my life with you and if you run from me I will just follow you so don't think you're ever going to be rid of me." She relaxed at his words. He rarely called her Brennan and she knew that he was deadly serious when he did. She searched his eyes and saw the truth of his words, feeling the anxiety and fear she had been harboring for the last several days slowly drain away. He saw the questions in her eyes and grinned. That was his Bones, wanting answers even in the middle of a personal crisis. He could give her the answers he had and then turn the floor over to the squint squad. "Bones, the last week, I've done some things that I'm not particularly proud of at the moment." He broke off when he saw the look on her face. "No, baby. What I'm talking about has nothing to do with us. It's about Sweets." A look of disgust flitted over her face and she crossed her arms over her chest, moving a little away from him.

"Yes, Booth. I've noticed that Sweets has become extremely popular with my family as of late." She almost spat the words in her most superior voice. _Uh oh, this didn't seem to be going so well._ Booth tugged at his earlobe and sighed. This was no time to try to finesse. She needed the truth and he was almost embarrassed to tell her.

"Bones, it's not what you think. Sweets had…," He broke off as she turned on him.

"And how would you know what I think, Booth? Every time I've tried to talk to you about it, you drag me off to bed." Now she was using her snippy voice and, despite the circumstance, he had to smile. He loved that particular tone of voice coming from her. It turned him on every time and this was no exception. She paused when she saw the light come into his eyes and then shook her head in aggravation. "I don't believe you, Seeley Booth. We're fighting and you want to get frankie." He laughed outright and she narrowed her eyes at him. He reached out and pulled her against him.

"It's frisky, not frankie, Bones. And I always want to get frisky with you. Plus, we are not fighting. We're having a discussion." She snorted, but relaxed against him, laying her head on his shoulder and unconsciously rubbing her hand up and down his chest.

"Then, by all means, discuss away." He grabbed her hand in his so he could concentrate.

"This thing with Sweets is about revenge." he blurted. She pushed away from him and sat up straight, looking at him with disbelief.

"What? Booth, why would any of you want to get revenge on Sweets? What did he do to all of you?" Well, she knew well what he had done to Booth, but as far as she knew, Booth had no idea what Sweets had done, so she was very confused at the moment. Booth turned to face her on the couch and took both of her hands in his.

"It wasn't about us, Baby. It was all about you. About Sweets not telling you that I wasn't dead so he could experiment on us." Her eyes widened.

"How did you know about that?" she whispered. He grinned.

"You told me the night that you were kidnapped." She vaguely remembered the end of their discussion that night but had no idea that this little gem had slipped out in her state of exhaustion. She had held back that information to protect Booth, not Sweets. She had been sure that Booth would extract some form of retribution from Sweets if he ever found out and she didn't want him to get in trouble for punching their therapist. But, as Sweets had been walking on his own and his face appeared unmarred the last time she saw him, Booth had obviously chosen some other method of revenge. She looked at him curiously.

"What did you do to him?" Booth tugged on his earlobe.

"I had his car towed and lost indefinitely at the impound lot." Brennan stifled a giggle, more at the look of discomfort on Booth's face than what he was telling her. "And I, uh, sort of had his security clearance to the Hoover building revoked a few times." Brennan's eyebrows rose at that one.

"How many times?" Booth was squirming now.

"Five, ok? And he deserves a hell of a lot worse than being escorted out of the building by armed guards for what he did to you, what he almost did to us." His voice was full of conviction and his look begged her to understand. She not only understood, she was getting quite a kick out of picturing Sweets being escorted from the FBI building by armed guards.

"I agree." Booth did a double take. Where was the logical, rational woman that he expected to scold him for engaging in such juvenile behavior and spout off how revenge wasn't logical. _Lance Sweets had pissed of that woman and she had no intention of taking up for him,_ Booth realized with relief. At least, he was relieved until it hit him that every bit of pain, anger, fear, whatever they had put Brennan through over the last week could have been avoided with a simple conversation. A conversation that she had tried to have repeatedly. Booth was ashamed of himself for making assumptions about this woman who never failed to surprise him and promised himself that he would never keep secrets from her again. Brennan drew his attention back to her. "Is that all you did to him?" Booth nodded and noted her disappointment. "Oh, well I guess that will have to be enough," she murmured dejectedly. Booth's eyebrows nearly met his hairline as he observed the blood thirsty glint in her eyes. He was beginning to think that they should have just put her in charge and stood back to watch.

"Bones, are you telling me that you were planning revenge against Sweets?" His voice held shock. She shot him a disgruntled look.

"Yes, Booth. I was seriously considering it, but had been unable to fully develop a scenario which caused him an appropriate amount of suffering." Booth burst into full fledged laughter, feeling all of his anxiety drain away. He pulled her to him to deliver a loud, smacking kiss to her lips and jumped off the couch, heading to the door.

"Well, Baby, I think we can help you out with that," he assured her, opening the door and motioning Cam, Angela and Hodgins inside. Brennan stiffened a little when she saw them. Her face turned impassive and her eyes were guarded. Angela went straight to her and hugged her tightly.

"I'm so sorry, Bren. We didn't mean to hurt you. We just wanted to get a little payback on Sweets." She pulled back and Brennan could see the sorrow and regret in her eyes. She pulled Angela back and hugged her tightly.

"It's ok, Ange. I know that you didn't mean to hurt me." Angela pulled back and Brennan turned to look at Cam and Hodgins who added their apologies to Angela's. After studying them for a moment to judge their sincerity, Brennan nodded her acceptance of the apologies and invited them to sit. When everyone was seated, Brennan looked to Angela for answers.

"Ange, I don't understand. Why would all of you want to get revenge on Sweets?" Angela gave her a soft smile.

"For you, Bren. For what the little twerp not telling you that Booth wasn't dead so he could use you like a lab rat. For him not telling you about Perotta and nearly getting you killed. For him bugging you to death about the kidnapping." She shrugged her shoulders. "Take your pick, but he needs to learn not to mess with people's feelings or their minds. That boy needs to be taught a lesson." Brennan was stunned. She had thought her family had betrayed her, but all the time, they had actually been trying to protect her. Her heart filled with a warmth usually reserved for Booth and she forgave them instantly. Her smile told them so and they all sagged in relief. But Brennan, being Brennan, needed answers.

"Ange, how did you know about the experiment?" Angela looked a little embarrassed and everyone else's interest in her answer peaked.

"I was under the stairs that day, Bren. I heard what you said to each other." She hadn't deliberately eavesdropped, she had simply been passing through until she saw Brennan turn on Sweets. She had listened in on purpose then, she admitted to herself.

"Why didn't you say anything to me, Ange?" Brennan questioned. Angela shrugged again.

"What difference would it have made?" She was right, Brennan realized.

"So, the three of you are plotting against Sweets?" Brennan circled her finger to indicate the other squints in the room and they all nodded somewhat sheepishly. She regarded them with amusement. "What, exactly, have you done so far?" Hodgins leaned forward, eager to explain in his relief that Brennan had apparently forgiven them. He explained about buying Sweets apartment building and having the psychologist evicted. Brennan was with Zach on that one. She could see how that might be annoying, but it didn't really cause him pain, mental or physical. She was a little disappointed in the squints.

She was a little more impressed when they explained that Angela had become his new best friend to scout out any apartments and alert Hodgins so that he could make sure that Sweets was not accepted as a tenant. He had recently added three apartment buildings to his already vast real estate holdings and was willing to add as many as necessary to carry out their plan. Brennan reached out and squeezed his hand in gratitude. "Thank you, Jack." She turned to Angela and gave her another hug. "Thank you, Angela." She rose from the couch and approached Cam, giving the startled woman a warm hug, which Cam gladly returned. "Thank you, Cam."

"Hey, what about me?" Booth wanted to know. Brennan turned to him and gave him a look that melted his insides.

"I'll thank you later, Booth. Be patient, it will be worth the wait," she promised and he swallowed hard wondering if he could just kick the squints out right now. Then he remembered that he had driven them here and knew that he would just have to wait for alone time with his Bones. Besides, they needed to get all of this out of the way. He shot Brennan a look just as hot as the one she had given him and just watched her as she reseated herself and turned back to the squints. "Is that all?"

Cam jumped in to explain her plan when she heard the disappointment in Brennan's voice. Brennan nodded her understanding. "So, you haven't actually done anything to him? This is all in the planning stage?" She surveyed the squints with a raised brow. Angela, proud that she had actually caused Sweets discomfort, jumped in to share the brownie episode with her. Brennan stared at Angela as she related her tale. That was just so juvenile. And funny as hell, Brennan discovered when Angela jumped up and imitated Hodgins' walk to the bathroom that day. Everyone in the room dissolved in laughter. Even Hodgins was chuckling.

Brennan looked at the people around her and knew that she would never be leaving the Jeffersonian voluntarily as long as her family was there. She really hadn't had any intention of leaving anyway, she was just venting to Booth and had taken the two days off to figuratively lick her wounds and figure out how to get her family back from Sweets. It appeared that was not necessary, but they did have one thing to clear up, then this episode would be over, in her opinion.

"Why didn't you just tell me what was going on when I tried to talk to you about it?" Brennan's gaze bounced between Angela, Hodgins and Cam. All three dropped their heads in shame. She was right; they should have just talked to her. Cam raised her head and looked at her levelly, her eyes shining with sincerity.

"We thought you would shut us down and we were all angry at the pain Sweets intentionally caused you. We're really sorry that we didn't just tell you, but Sweets still deserves to suffer," she insisted. Angela and Hodgins nodded their agreement and Brennan regarded them intently. She could understand their reasoning. She was a logical, rational person and it would make sense that she would object to deliberately inflicting suffering on another person. They had forgotten to take into account that Brennan had suffered as an emotional woman, not a rational scientist. That fact alone pushed the rational, logical side of her aside and made the hurt, angry woman scream for revenge. She looked at everyone in the room, meeting each person's eyes for a moment before moving to the next.

"I understand, but don't ever let it happen again. It hurt to be shut out." They were all astonished that she had shared her feelings so openly and quickly agreed that it wouldn't happen again. They were all struck speechless when she turned to the coffee table and slapped her hand down, palm down and muttered, "I'm in." She turned to look at the four people regarding her with wide eyed astonishment. "What? Isn't that the accepted gesture to indicate that I wish to participate in your venture?" Booth recovered first, leaning forward to place his hand over hers and give it a squeeze.

"Yeah, Baby, that's how you do it." Angela's hand landed on top of Booths, followed closely by Cam and Hodgins. The five people looked at each other and grinned, happy that disaster had been diverted and their little family unit had weathered a storm and would be stronger because of it.

"So, Bren, what do you want to do to, Sweets?" Angela was very curious to know what her brilliant friend could come up with. Brennan looked a little embarrassed and looked at Booth helplessly.

"I don't really have one yet, Ange." She looked and sounded like she had failed a test for the first time in her life, discouraged and ashamed. Booth slipped an arm around her shoulders and hugged her close.

"That's ok, Bones. We can just wing it until you come up with something." She gave him a grateful smile and the other three nodded their encouragement. She still looked dejected until a thought suddenly occurred to her. Quickly sitting up, she explained. Angela and Cam looked at her with respect, nodding their approval. Hodgins and Booth looked a little scared and were thankful the she wasn't after their blood. Their eyes met and communicated this message to each other in a male bonding moment. Booth felt a little sorry for Sweets, the kid wasn't going to know what hit him when the squints swung into action. He felt sorry for him for about 30 seconds then it passed and he leaned forward to participate in the discussion. He wasn't about to be left out of this.

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Two hours later, Booth reentered the apartment after having dropped the squints off at the lab. He had called in and taken the day off. He had a thank you to collect and he had no intention of being interrupted. He took off his jacket and hung it up, laying his phone on the counter and looking around for Brennan. She wasn't in the living room or the kitchen and he walked down the hall to find her. She was in the bathroom. Actually, she was in the bathtub. Booth leaned against the doorframe and just took in the picture before him. She was submerged up to her chin in hot water and bubbles. The lights were off, the only light coming from candles that she had strategically placed around the room, giving her skin a luminous glow and turning the hair piled carelessly atop her head to burnished copper. She glanced up and saw him and those incredible eyes locked with his as a sensual smile graced her lips.

"Care to join me?" Her voice was a husky drawl and paired with the look in her eyes, brought him instantly to alertness. _God, how did she do that to him? Make him hard with just a look or word. She was the only woman who had ever been able to do that to him. _He smiled and pushed away from the doorframe, moving into the room, his hands already busy with the buttons on his shirt. Her eyes locked onto his chest and she watched avidly as each hard sculpted muscle was revealed. He peeled his shirt off and discarded it. Brennan suppressed a moan as his hands slowly went to his belt buckle and he paused and sent her a smirk. He knew that it turned her on to watch him strip and he was a tease, she often told him. Her eyes returned to his waist as he undid the belt, the button on his pants and his hand toyed with the zipper. She could see that he was fully erect behind that zipper and she wanted to see him in all his glory now. She looked up and licked her lips. That got her what she wanted. Booth swallowed a moan and quickly unzipped his pants, discarding them and his underwear, hopping from one foot to the other to take off his socks. Within seconds, Brennan was sliding forward and he was slipping down into the tub behind her.

Booth sank into the warm water and pulled Brennan between his spread thighs, her back against his chest and her head falling back on his shoulder as she relaxed against him. She turned and gave him a sultry look.

"Hi," she whispered. He smiled and brushed a tendril of hair that had escaped her topknot out of her face.

"Hi," he whispered back, leaning down to nibble on her lower lip. She sighed and he took advantage of her open lips to slide his tongue inside, lightly flicking against hers and the roof of her mouth. She tried to turn in his arms, but he slipped his arms around her waist and held her in position. She whimpered her displeasure with him, until one of his hands moved upward and closed over her breast, lightly kneading and rolling the nipple between his thumb and forefinger. This move got him a gasp of approval. Her arms moved up and locked around his neck, arching her back and giving him unrestricted access to her body. He brought his other hand up to pet and fondle her other breast, never breaking contact with her lips. She moaned and moved her hips up and down rhythmically against his erection that was pressed between her bottom and his stomach. Every slide and wiggle sent streaks of desire shooting through Booth and he moaned into her mouth. She increased the pressure, pulling a grunt from his throat.

Brennan was hot and wet. She ached with the need to have Booth inside her now, but knew from experience that they both enjoyed the teasing and that extending the foreplay made them both hotter. She was amazed that every time they made love, it felt like the first time, with the excitement and wonder that comes from sharing yourself with someone you care for so deeply. Booth released her lips and nipped his way across her jaw line, taking her earlobe in his mouth and sucking on it after giving it a little nip. She shuddered and her eyes closed at the sensation. Her head tipped to the side, giving him access to her neck and he moved on, nipping, licking and sucking his way down her neck to her shoulder. Brennan was almost panting with need and tried to lift herself enough to take his hardened length into her core, but he held her in place.

"Not yet," he murmured, still nipping at her shoulder. She whimpered and increased the speed and pressure of her bottom against his hard on. He shuddered and his eyes closed, his arm tightened around her as he took a moment to control the need to lift her and give her exactly what they both wanted. He felt like he was making the last few days up to her and wanted her wild in his arms before he gave in. That was what he wanted, but whenever he touched Brennan his body kind of took over and it was telling him to hurry up that it wanted the pleasure and relief that he could only find with her. He controlled his raging libido with difficulty and returned his attention to the woman in his arms.

She lifted her head to look at him and he was held spellbound by her eyes. Those gorgeous blue eyes with the pupils dilated and the irises darkened with passion for him. Just seeing how much she wanted him made his cock harden to painful proportions and he throbbed with the need to be inside her. She felt him throbbing and once again tried to lift herself and let him slide home. He stopped her and she turned her head toward him in frustration.

"Booth, I thought I was supposed to be thanking you." she whined. He gently cupped her jaw in his hand.

"Believe me, Baby, you are thanking me right now," he assured her, leaning down to take her lips in a passionate kiss. She returned the kiss and started to remove her hands from his neck, but he stopped this action by reaching up and relinking her fingers. He liked having unrestricted access to her body and if she started touching him like he knew she was planning, they would be finished in minutes with the way his body was aching for release. She was writhing against him, trying to find some relief from the aching tension tightening her body, but her position gave her no possibility of finding that relief. Booth was totally in charge and that turned her on to no end, but she needed some relief.

"Booth, I need to …," her breath caught and her voice broke as his hands moved from her intertwined fingers lightly grazing the undersides of her arms down to the sides of her breasts, where one stopped to play with an erect nipple. The other hand continued its downward journey, flat palm slowly sliding over her abdomen and into the curls at the juncture of her thighs.

"I know what you need, Baby." The puff of air against the sensitive shell of her ear made her shiver. His teeth closing on her earlobe, his fingers plucking at her sensitive nipple and his fingers parting her folds and flicking her swollen clit all at the same time made her scream and buck her hips against his hand. She was bombarded with sensation and each lick of his tongue or flick of his finger magnified them and sent her closer to the edge. Booth loved to see her go wild in his arms. It made him crazy to see the reserved woman that she showed the rest of the world turn into such a passionate, sensual creature, especially because he knew that had only ever happened for him. He would like to prolong it, but to do so would be torture for her as wound up as she was and he desperately wanted to be inside of her. Her writhing was rubbing her bottom against a hard on that was throbbing and aching and telling him that it wasn't going to wait much longer for release. She turned her head and caught his lips in a passionate kiss catching his tongue and sucking on it just as he slipped two thick fingers into her tight warmth, alternating rubbing firmly and lightly flicking his thumb against her clit. She bucked against his hand and released his mouth, her head falling back against his shoulder, eyes closed and panting as the tension in her body increased to unbelievable proportions. Booth let her ride his hand for a minute, but her sucking on his tongue had almost sent him over the edge and he needed release just as badly as she did now. He began to thrust his fingers into her slick channel and firmly flick he clit. Her body arched and he knew she was close. He leaned down and lightly bit the tendon running down the side of her neck and that's all it took. She went crashing to a place that only he could take her, a place where she was surrounded by pleasure so intense that sometimes she thought it just might kill her. Feeling her inner muscles clench and pulse around his fingers almost sent him over the edge, but he managed to hold back. He had her lifted, turned and penetrated before the waves of her orgasm ceased, entering her hard and fast, needing this as he had never needed anything before. His eyes closed and he shuddered as he felt her inner muscles clenching around his oh so hard that it hurt penis, her walls still spasming from her orgasm. He grabbed her ass and lifted her, slamming her back down at the same time he thrust upward. Brennan was so weak from her climax that she really wasn't any help. She was just along for the ride. And what a ride it was. Booth lifted and slammed their bodies together and she was at the edge of another shattering climax within seconds. She raised her head from where it had been lolling against his shoulder, her eyes glittering with passion as she suddenly became an active participant in their lovemaking.

"Booth, I'm about to come again." She whimpered, raising herself on her knees and meeting his thrust. Booth's eyes slammed shut and he fought to hold off his own orgasm until he gave her a second one.

"I know, Baby, just let go for me." She met him thrust for thrust, both of them grunting and panting. Suddenly, she grabbed Booth's face with both hands and pulled it up, attacking his lips with her teeth and tongue. Sensation shot through him with the power of lightening bolts. His hands tightened on her ass and he felt her inner muscles tightening. Just a few more, he told himself that he had to hold out just a few more minutes, and his body screamed in protest. It wanted release right now. The fight was settled by Brennan as she sucked his tongue into her mouth and plucked firmly on his puckered nipples as she deliberately tightened her inner muscles around him. He came hard. So did she. They drifted back to reality with her draped around him, her head resting tiredly on her shoulder. His cheek rested atop her head and his hand was lovingly smoothing the hair back from her face. When her eyes fluttered open, he smiled.

"Are you ok?"

"Hmmm," she murmured eyes heavy with fatigue and satisfaction.

"I should do something like that more often if this is what happens." She slowly raised her head and gave him a level, warning look.

"I can assure you, Seeley Booth, that this is not what will happen if you ever shut me out like that again." Booth grinned and teased her further.

"Oh, really? What will happen?" She gave him a chiding, narrow eyed look.

"Just rest assured that you won't like it." Damn, now he was dying with curiosity about what she was threatening him with. His grin widened into pure mischief.

"Just to be sure, maybe I'll try it tomorrow." She wrapped her arms around his neck and shifted in a way that made him groan and had his penis already semi-erect again. She looked directly into his eyes, nose to nose with him while she told him the absolute truth.

"Just because I love you, Booth, doesn't mean that I won't kick your ass. So you just remember that the next time you try to protect me from something that I should know about." He knew that she was 100% serious and thought she was adorable at that second but he was a smart man and didn't share that with her or she would have probably kicked his ass right then and there.

"Yes, maam." He agreed. She nodded as if there could be no other response and leaned down to kiss him passionately, tightening her inner walls around him and bringing him to aching hardness instantly.

"Do you really want to be talking right now, Booth?" _Hell, no_. His response was non-verbal as he tangled one hand in her hair and pulled her closer. They had much better things to do right now and he planned on letting her express her gratitude to him all night long.


	38. Chapter 38

**I hope you enjoy the torture of Sweets. Plea**se review.

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

Booth and Brennan waited in the reception area of Sweets' office for him to call them in for their regular appointment, chatting amiably. Booth could see Brennan's excitement that she was about to give Sweets a little surprise and leaned in close to warn her.

"Baby, you really should try not to look like you just won the lottery if you don't want Sweets to figure out that you're up to something." She instantly schooled her features into impassivity and Booth nodded with approval, giving the hand he had been holding a gentle squeeze. He didn't have time to offer more advice as the inner door to the office opened and Sweets called out for them to come in. Booth pulled Brennan up and they walked into the office hand in hand. Sweets looked up and smiled at the handholding, gesturing for them to take seats.

"So, Agent Booth, Dr Brennan, how are things going for you two on a personal level?" They glanced at each other and answered at the same time.

"Great."

"Our relationship is progressing satisfactorily." Sweets smiled at Brennan's answer.

"Is there anything that you need to talk about concerning your relationship?" _Not that they would ever tell him_, they both thought simultaneously. They shook their heads and Sweets' eyes narrowed.

"Oh, come on, guys, every couple has problems and I can help you work through those problems if you'll just talk to me." _It wasn't just couples that had problems,_ Brennan thought with glee_, Sweets was about to have more problems than he could handle._ Booth saw the glee cross her face and quickly distracted Sweets.

"What happened to your wrist, Sweets?" The young psychologist blushed profusely and started stuttering. Turning to fully face Booth, Brennan rushed to answer for him.

"He sprained his wrist masturb…," Sweets loudly broke into her explanation.

"Dr. Brennan, I did _NOT_ sprain my wrist doing that." Booth was having trouble containing his laughter at Sweets obvious discomfort. Brennan looked at him in confusion.

"Then why did you tell Angela that you did?" Sweets was pacing and running both hands through his hair in agitation now.

"I did not tell Angela that. She just assumed that was what happened. And apparently told everyone she knows." The last sentence was muttered under his breath. Brennan's eyes widened. _That must be very embarrassing for the young man,_ she thought with an inner chuckle. _Not as embarrassing as what she had planned but, hey, she would take what she could get when it came to making Sweets suffer_. She broke into Sweets muttered ramblings with a question. She was, after all, a very curious person.

"Then how did you really hurt your wrist?" She became very interested when his face got even redder. He paused in his agitated pacing and turned back to them.

"That's really not important, Dr Brennan." From the look on his face, she decided that it was very important. So did Booth, who joined the conversation.

"Come on, Sweets, you expect us to share the most private parts of our lives with you and you won't even tell us how you hurt your wrist. What's up with that?" Sweets paused and considered. Booth was right, no matter how embarrassing he found this conversation, his sharing would be a gesture of trust on his part and maybe the partners would feel more comfortable with him and really open up. Sweets heaved a sigh and reseated himself, looking directly at the pair seated across from him. His face felt like it was on fire and he had to force the words out.

"I had some, um, stomach issues a few days ago," he swallowed hard and forced himself to continue, "and I, um, fell going to the, um, um, bathroom." His face was flaming. A picture of Angela imitating Hodgins' little shuffle while under the influence of the brownies flashed into Brennan's and Booth's minds at the same time and Brennan had to turn away to hide her smile. Booth clamped his lips together with his teeth to hold in the laughter. Sweets wasn't fooled, he easily saw their amusement.

"Come on, guys, it's not funny." He whined. They did not agree, but Brennan got herself under control and turned back to him with such an innocent look that Booth instantly knew she was up to something.

"Did you make it?" she asked as if she was asking what time it was. Sweets was confused and raised an eyebrow.

"To the bathroom, Sweets. Did you make it?" Sweets ignored her _pay attention_ voice and dropped his head into his hands, not answering the question. This did not deter Brennan in the least.

"So, that would be a no, then. You didn't make it to the bathroom and soiled yourself?" Her eyes widened. "Ooohhh, Sweets I can see why you wouldn't want to talk about it." She leaned over and patted his arm in commiseration. "After all, soiling yourself at your age would be a little embarrassing." Sweets groaned into his hands, even the tips of his ears fire engine red. Booth leaped from the couch, hand covering his mouth and quickly left the room, unable to hold in his laughter. Brennan continued to pat his arm and murmured soothing to him while laughing hysterically inside. Sweets finally lifted his head and gave her a weak smile.

"Thank you for not laughing, Dr. Brennan." He glared at Booth as he reentered the room. Brennan glanced at Booth and received a silent message. She patted Sweets' arm one last time and took her seat again, reaching down beside the couch and picking up a gift bag that she had brought in with her. Smiling sweetly, she held the bag out to Sweets.

"We got you a present, Sweets." An indescribably expression of joy flashed across the young psychologists face and Brennan had to fight the urge to pull the bag back and not do this. Until she remembered what he had done to her. That thought alone stiffened her spine with resolve. Booth watched the proceedings with interest. Sweets smiled broadly and grabbed the bag.

"Really? You guys got me a present?" Booth felt his conscience twinge, but it was too late to back out now, so he went with the plan.

"Well, go ahead and open it, Sweets," he encouraged. Grinning broadly, Sweets reached into the bag, his hand searching through the tissue paper and grasping the gift inside. Still smiling, he withdrew the item and looked down at what he was holding. His mouth fell open and his face flamed. He looked at the couple with disbelief.

"Oh my God," he whispered. "Why would you buy me something like this?" his voice was much louder and demanding. Brennan shrugged.

"Well, in Angela's office, you seemed quite resistant to obtaining a masturbatory aid for yourself and I didn't want you to further injure yourself, so I obtained one for you." She was quite pleased with herself, Sweets saw.

"Dr. Brennan, this is completely inappropriate," he shouted. She looked at him in puzzlement.

"Why? Don't you think that particular aid will bring you to climax? If not, I'm sure that you could exchange it for something more appropriate." She ignored his sputtering and continued. "Of course, you can only exchange it before you try it out." She looked at Booth and he nodded his agreement that returning a used masturbatory aid was not a good idea. She turned back to Sweets just as the door opened and a head was stuck inside.

"Sweets, this…,"

"_What?"_ roared Sweets swinging around to face the intruder with his gift still clutched in his hands. Cullen stepped further into the room, his eyes caught by the item in Sweets' hands. Cullen's eyes widened in astonishment.

"What the hell is going on here, Sweets?" Cullen demanded. Sweets instantly snatched the offensive item behind his back and tried to find words to accurately explain the situation to an obviously irritated and shocked Cullen. Before he could come up with anything, Cullen turned to Booth and Brennan.

"Dr Brennan, Agent Booth, would you please excuse us? Sweets and I need to talk." Brennan and Booth complied with Cullen's request and left the room only to hear the door close behind them with a resounding thud and Cullen's raised voice emanate from the room. They were able to contain themselves until the elevator doors shut behind them. They fell against each other laughing at the look on Sweets' face when he got a good look at his "present". The hardest part of the whole thing had been timing Cullen's arrival and Brennan had worked that out easily. _It was so not good to have a certified genius pissed at you_, Booth decided. If she ever got that pissed at him, he thought he would just shoot himself and save himself some suffering because he didn't think you could run far or fast enough to evade the Revenge of the Squints.

*******************************************************************

Cullen shut the door to Sweets office and turned back to the young doctor, one hand on his hip, the other rubbing his head repeatedly in agitation. Sweets stood facing Cullen, nervously shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

"Sweets, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Sweets face was bright red but he looked Cullen directly in the eye and Cullen had to give the kid props for that. Sweets gulped and shifted his stance.

"Sir, it's not what it looks like. I can explain." Sweets voice was so high that it broke on the last word and he cleared his throat. Cullen's hand continued to unconsciously stroke his head.

"I certainly hope so, son, because it looks pretty bad." Sweets nodded. He knew that it looked bad.

"Sir, Dr Brennan and Agent Booth gave me a present that is completely inappropriate and we were discussing that when you came in." Both of Cullen's hands now rested on his hips and he looked at Sweets incredulously.

"You're trying to tell me that _Dr Brennan and Agent Booth_ gave you that _thing_?" he bellowed, pointing behind Sweets back. Sweets lifted his chin pugnaciously and nodded.

"Yes,sir. That's exactly what I'm telling you and I can prove it." Cullen's brow lifted as he folded his arms across his chest. Sweets frantically looked around for the gift bag, sure that Cullen would believe him when he saw it. It was nowhere to be found. "Um, they must have taken the, um, gift bag with them." Cullen's brow arched higher and he sighed. He had to at least consider what Sweets was saying and if he did that, he had to consider that Sweets little "gift" wasn't what he thought, because no way in hell would Booth ever give someone something like that. He could feel his face flaming as he decided what he had to do. He held out his hand. Sweets took a couple of steps backward.

"Hand it over, Sweets." Sweets face was the reddest shade that Cullen had ever seen and he looked like he would protect the thing behind his back with his life.

"Are you sure, sir?" Cullen was very sure that he wanted to be anywhere but here right now. _Hell, he'd take a root canal without anesthesia over what he was about to do,_ but he had to do it so he straightened his spine and gave Sweets a menacing look.

"Just hand the damn thing over, Sweets." Cullen snapped the fingers of his extended hand and almost laughed at the look of horror on Sweets' face as he withdrew the item from behind his back in slow motion and placed it in Cullen's hands. Cullen had been staring straight ahead and had to take a deep breath and force himself to look down when he felt the box make contact with his palms. He didn't think his face could get any redder, but he was wrong. As his eyes skimmed the box, he felt the blood flood his face like a tidal wave. The box showed a sex toy, round in shape, about six inches long with an exaggerated pair of lips on one end. It also showed the item being used and there was no doubt what this was for. Cullen threw the offensive thing onto the couch and turned back to a nervous Sweets.

"What the hell were you thinking, Sweets? I know that you're young but even you should know better than to bring your sex life into the office." Sweets was sputtering and trying to reply, but Cullen held up an _I'm not finished_ hand and Sweets quietened. "The thing I don't understand is why you felt the need to share that…thing with Dr Brennan and Booth." Cullen's tone of voice said _Shame on you, Lance Sweets. _ Sweets' teeth clenched and his hands fisted. It was obvious that Cullen didn't believe him.

"Sir, I swear to you that it was a gift from Dr Brennan and Agent Booth. Just ask them." Cullen held back his snort, but just barely. _Yeah, like that was ever going to happen._ He would hopefully never have to even think about this event again after today, much less speak of it.

"Sweets, I can't tell you how disappointed I am in your behavior here today. It was just too inappropriate for words. I know that you like Dr Brennan and Booth, but, son, sharing something like that," Cullen pointed toward the couch but didn't look in that direction, "goes way beyond even the boundaries of friendship." Sweets crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Cullen mulishly.

"They gave it to me," he insisted through clenched teeth. Cullen sighed and rubbed his head again. He obviously had to do something. He was very concerned that the kid wouldn't admit that the THING was his and was trying to blame Dr Brennan and Booth which was ludicrous in Cullen's opinion. It seemed to him that the kid had possibly developed an unhealthy attachment to Brennan and Booth and, after the events that transpired the last time that happened, he wasn't taking any chances. He pinned Sweets with a steely gaze.

"Dr. Sweets, until further notice, consider yourself relieved of duty as far as Dr. Brennan and Agent Booth are concerned." Sweets' gasp and pale face stopped Cullen before he could finish.

"You're firing me?" Cullen actually felt sorry for the kid, but Sweets had to learn.

"No, Sweets, I'm not firing you. At least, not yet," he held up a hand as Sweets went to interrupt with his thanks, "but I am cancelling your sessions with Dr. Brennan and Agent Booth until further notice. I am also requiring that you see one of your colleagues for an evaluation within the next twenty four hours and that evaluation will determine whether or not you continue to see patients." Sweets was no longer thankful, he was embarrassed and angry.

"Sir, I can assure you that I don't need therapy." Cullen's glance toward the couch told Sweets that he thought differently. Cullen planted his hands on his hips and put his best _I am the boss and you will do as I say _look on his face. Sweets took a step backward before he could stop himself.

"Son, you can either be evaluated or you can go home. Now, which is it to be?" Sweets didn't like it but saw that he had no choice.

"Fine. I'll see Dr. Walker this afternoon." Cullen snorted. Dr Walker was a push over, his methods old and outdated. He was basically a dinosaur just waiting for retirement and the only people they sent to see him, they already knew had mommy issues. For some reason, he seemed to do well with those patients, but Sweets would walk all over the guy and Walker's report would say whatever Sweets wanted it to. Cullen shook his head.

"No. You'll see Dr. Parsons," Cullen told him. Sweets' face blanched. Dr. Parsons was a real hard ass and Sweets didn't even like being in the same room with her. She looked at you the same way Dr. Brennan looked at her skeletal remains as if she was dismantling your psyche piece by piece and studying each part. She gave him the creeps.

"What? No. Please?" Sweets whined and Cullen grinned at the little boy sound of his voice.

"This is non-negotiable, Sweets. Now will you make the call or should I?"

"Fine. I'll do it." Sweets gritted through clenched teeth, stomping over to his desk like a dejected five year old and picking up the phone. Cullen turned to leave the room, satisfied that everything was under control. At the door, he turned as Sweets called out to him.

"Sir, why are you here?" Cullen lifted an _Excuse me?_ brow and Sweets rushed into speech. "I mean why did you come to my office when you did?" Cullen looked at him like he was definitely crazy.

"Sweets, your secretary called my office and said you needed to see me urgently." Cullen was, once again, rubbing his head in aggravation. Sweets eyes widened as an unbelievable thought occurred to him.

"There must be some mistake, Sir. I did _not _have my secretary call your office and I didn't need to see you." Cullen didn't look like he believed him but Sweets had something a lot bigger on his mind right now and didn't push the issue. Cullen shook his head and left the office. _Wow, the kid was worse off than he thought. He definitely needed therapy, it seemed he had become a pathological liar._

Sweets sank into his desk chair, the phone clutched, forgotten, in his hand. He couldn't believe it, but he was a smart guy and the evidence pointed to one thing. Dr Brennan and Agent Booth had set him up. _Why would they do that?_ He had thought they were, if not friends, at least more that therapist and patients. _Holy Crap, Agent Booth must have found out about his real reason for not telling Dr. Brennan that he wasn't dead, but this was wicked mean payback for that._ As far as he had been able to tell, Dr Brennan hadn't reacted at all to Booth's death and they were threatening his job and even his career here. He hung up the phone absent mindedly. He needed to think about this.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dr Lance Sweets sat in Dr. Pearson's waiting room dejectedly. He could not freaking believe that he, a trained psychologist, was being evaluated by another psychologist because his favorite two people in the world were out to get him. In his office earlier, he had tried to convince himself that it was just a prank, but he didn't believe that for one second. This was no prank, this was a well planned, deadly strike designed to hit him where he lived, his pride and his job. Looking back, he could see the staged timing of gift presentation and Cullen's arrival. No way had that been accidental; it smelled strongly of Dr. Brennan.

His heart rebelled at the thought of the pair declaring war on him, even though he probably deserved it. He thought that the partners were great and unconsciously sought to ingratiate himself to them at every opportunity. He craved their friendship and acceptance. He knew what he had done to Dr. Brennan had been borderline, ethically, but no real harm had been done and he couldn't help being a little disappointed that he was unable to gain any data for further study from her reaction, or rather her non-reaction to the situation. He was, after all, a scientist no matter how vehemently Dr. Brennan would object to that statement. His musings were interrupted as Dr. Pearson's office door opened and she called his name. He reluctantly stood and trudged into her office, a shrink going to get his head shrunk. _How ironic is that?_

"Good afternoon, Dr Sweets," greeted Dr. Amanda Pearson, closing the door and gesturing for Sweets to take a seat. Sweets flounced in and dropped onto the sofa without returning her greeting and she almost laughed at his pouty little boy expression. Schooling her features into impassivity, she took a seat across from Sweets and got started.

"So, Dr. Sweets, I've heard from Deputy Director Cullen about why you're here," she did give a little smile as his head snapped up. "Now I'd like to hear it from you." Sweets gave a little shrug and looked down at the floor. Amanda sighed, other professionals were always the worst and they always sent them to her. Had they never heard of the old adage Physician heal thyself? Apparently, they couldn't heal themselves and it had become her job to deal with a bunch of juvenile egomaniacs who were resistant to mandated therapy with issues that would turn your hair white if you thought about them too much. "Dr. Sweets, you, of all people know that I can't help you if you don't talk to me."

"I don't need you to help me, Dr. Pearson."

"Really? Because from what Director Cullen said, you were being completely inappropriate with two of your patients this morning and that sounds like a cry for help to me." Sweets straightened on the sofa, crossed his arms and glared at her.

"I was not being inappropriate. Director Cullen simply misunderstood the situation." Sweets was now belligerent. Amanda's eyebrows rose.

"You weren't holding some kind of sex toy in front of Dr. Brennan and Agent Booth when Director Cullen entered the room?" Sweets' face flamed.

"Yes, but it wasn't like you're making it sound."

"Then what was it like?"

"The _thing _was a gift from Dr. Brennan and Agent Booth." Sweets was clearly agitated and gesticulating with his arms. Amanda leaned forward in her chair and gave him an encouraging smile.

"And why would Dr. Brennan and Agent Booth give you such an inappropriate gift?" Sweets grimaced and dropped his head, muttering under his breath.

"Because they're out to get me."

"Why would they be out to get you?" _Crap. She must have hearing like a bat. He had definitely not meant for her to hear that._ She had an _I can help you if you just let me _expression on her face and Sweets was tempted to confide in her, but he knew that it would be her responsibility to report a breach in ethics to the ethics committee and he had no wish to appear before them and get his wrist slapped or worse. Plus, he was pretty sure he was in enough trouble already and more would probably cost him his job. He tried to pass the remark off as a joke and immediately saw that she wasn't buying that. He then avoided her eyes and ignored the question, resorting to pouty five year old.

"Dr. Sweets, have you done something to Dr. Brennan and Agent Booth that they might feel the need to seek revenge?" _Holy Cow, it was like she could read his mind. _ His head shot up, eyes wide.

"Why would you think that?" she shrugged. He had definitely done something, but he wasn't going to tell her what just yet.

"It's only logical, Dr. Sweets." _Damn, now his therapist sounded like Dr. Brennan and if she was as rational and logical as Dr. Brennan it wouldn't take her long to figure things out. _ Sweets wanted nothing more than to jump up and run from the room, but knew he needed to throw Amanda off the scent as it were. He tried for nonchalant and got nervous. He shrugged and met her eyes.

"They've always been resistant to therapy and I think they're probably tired of it and thought this little prank would stop their therapy." She looked doubtful.

"Don't you think that the incident this morning is a little extreme for a prank, even in the hopes of it stopping their therapy?" Her voice told him that she wasn't buying it for a second, but that was his story and he was sticking to it. He shrugged and shot her a sick smile. She gave him a level look.

"Dr. Sweets, I have known Dr. Brennan personally for a while now and I have never known her to have difficulty using her words to clearly express her wishes. Don't you think she would just have verbalized her desire to end therapy if that was what this was about?" Sweets crossed his arms and shook his head stubbornly. Catching sight of his watch, he did something that he never thought he would do and that irritated him to no end when it was pulled on him. He held out his arm to reveal his watch and jumped to his feet.

"Would you look at the time? I know you have other patients waiting, so I'll just be going. Thank you for your time, Dr. Pearson." He was heading toward the door the whole time. Her commanding voice stopped him just as he reached for the doorknob.

"Dr. Sweets, I need you to make a return appointment. We aren't finished with this." Sweets jerked the door open and almost ran from the room, grateful to be let off the hook for the present. Amanda picked up the pad she had been making notes on and headed for her desk, writing furiously while walking. It was something she had taught herself to do in college, so she could better utilize her travel time between classes. She smiled as a question floated through her mind. _Was it paranoia if someone was really out to get you? Yep_, she decided, until she had concrete proof that Dr. Brennan and Agent Booth were out to get Dr. Sweets, and she found that highly unlikely, she had no choice but to classify him as paranoid. She made a few more notes and picked up the phone to call Cullen.


	39. Chapter 39

**More Sweets torture. Thanks for reading and please review.**

**Disclaimer: Still not mine**.

Things were very slow at the Jeffersonian and, although Brennan always had work to do in Limbo, she was sitting in her office, retelling the story of their morning session with Sweets for the third time. Cam, Hodgins and Angela were all holding their stomachs roaring with laughter, but Booth and Brennan looked a little uncomfortable. They really hadn't expected Cullen to take it so hard and had agreed that if Sweets lost his job, they would confess their complicity, but had counted on Cullen being too embarrassed to mention the episode to both of them and blame Sweets and so far they had been right. They were both thinking that maybe they shouldn't have put the kid's job in jeopardy and trying to decide if they should intervene now or not. They wanted to teach the young psychologist a lesson, not ruin his life. Brennan had just opened her mouth to tell the others that she'd had a change of heart when Angela's phone rang and Booths vibrated, indicating a text message.

Booth looked at his phone, silently reading the message and then handing it to Brennan to do the same. Her eyes widened as she read the message and she looked at Booth apprehensively. They both turned their attention to Angela when they heard who she was on the phone with.

"Sweets, why are you whispering?" She pulled the phone away from her ear and gave it a strange look then replaced it next to her ear.

"Sweets, Sweets, hello, Swweettss!" She reacquired his attention, her eyebrows rising to her hairline. "Who, exactly, is it that you think may be listening?"

"Really? No, Sweets, I don't really think that Booth put a tap on your phone so that he could listen to your calls." Angela rolled her eyes and shushed Hodgins as his laughter at her end of the conversation burst forth.

"No, Sweets, I'm positive that Bren didn't bug your phone. Wait. Did you actually find a bug?" Angela's eyebrows couldn't get any higher and stay on her forehead.

"So, you just feel like someone is listening in?" Now, she was making a circling motion by her temple with and index finger and pointing to her phone nodding. Everyone else was listening avidly.

"Sure, I can meet you at the diner. Right now? Really?" That one word held so much satisfaction that Angela was surprised that Sweets didn't bust her immediately, but that boy had bigger problems than her today. "What time? Okay, I'll be there." Angela hung up her phone with a huge smile on her face. "Guess what, guys?"

"We don't have therapy with Sweets anymore." Booth answered the question for him and Brennan. Everyone else looked at the couple in surprise then Angela jumped in.

"No, but that's great. Right?" They nodded but didn't look too sure. "Get this," she leaned forward confidingly, "the good Dr. Lance Sweets has to be evaluated by another psychologist this afternoon." Angela leaned back in satisfaction_. She couldn't have planned a better punishment for him_, she thought. She looked around to find three of the other four people in the room looking uncomfortable and looking at everything except each other. Brennan had leaned forward with her elbows braced on her knees and dropped her head into her hands. Angela was thrilled that Sweets was having problems but she got the feeling that the other people in the room weren't enjoying his dilemma quite as much as her. "What is wrong with you people? This is what we wanted. Right?" She demanded. Three heads nodded slowly and Hodgins got up the courage to speak his mind.

"Guys, I'm starting to feel a little bad for the kid. We wanted to teach him a lesson, but I don't think any of us intended to make him homeless and unemployed." Two heads nodded in agreement. Angela wanted clarification.

"What are you saying, Hodgins? That you want to stop?" Angela's voice was rising and Hodgins gulped at the look in her eyes, but he nodded. She turned to Cam who also nodded and then looked to the sofa for Booth's and Brennan's opinion. Booth nodded but Brennan's face was still buried in her hands and she had yet to speak. Booth was rubbing circles on her back and leaned forward to speak directly in her ear.

"Hey, Bones, what's wrong?" Her head came up and she looked at him in horror.

"Oh, God, Booth, we broke the baby duck." The other four couldn't help but laugh and she glared at them individually. "It's not funny. We've driven him into a state of paranoia. What if we've already damaged him beyond repair?" Angela snorted.

"Bren, we haven't really done anything to him yet. If he's paranoid now, it's because he was already crazy. So, really we're doing the FBI a favor because they couldn't possibly want a crazy person working as a psychologist for them." Everyone in the room had turned to Angela and just stared as they all marveled at the way her thought processes worked.

"What?" she asked, noting the stares.

"Ange," said Brennan gently, "I'm finding that punishing Sweets is just making me feel guilty rather than vindicated. We need to stop this now." Angela crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head stubbornly. She had spent a lot of time and effort setting Sweets up for his doctor's visit and she wanted to see the results.

"But, Bren, his doctor's appointment is in two days." Angela whined. Brennan looked a little sick.

"Ange, what exactly have you done to prepare Sweets for his visit to the doctor?" Happy to share, Angela reached into her pocket and removed a folded piece of paper, handing it to Brennan. Brennan unfolded the paper and looked at the list. It was obviously a list of symptoms for Parkinson 's disease but Brennan was unsure of its use and looked to Angela for further information.

"I don't understand." Angela was happy to explain.

"Cam gave me that list of early signs of Parkinson's Disease and told me to go to town, so I did." Booth and Hodgins looked at Cam in disbelief. As bloodthirsty as Angela had been about this whole project, they found Cam's orders to be an unfortunate choice of words. Cam gave a sheepish grin and shrugged, but she was blushing as she agreed that her choice of words could have been better. Brennan was looking from Angela to the paper in her hand.

"How did you go to town?" Brennan asked suspiciously. Angela languidly gestured toward the paper and smiled.

"Pick one and I'll tell you." Brennan randomly chose one of the symptoms.

"Flexion or stooped posture," she supplied and Angela grinned.

"I just kept telling him to stand up straight and quit slouching. He really does slouch, you know." Four heads nodded in agreement as they had all seen him slouching around the lab. "That one was easy compared to the symptoms that I had to induce."

"_You drugged him?"_ Brennan was genuinely horrified. Angela scoffed.

"Of course not," Looking at the grin on Angela's face, Brennan somehow didn't find her words reassuring.

"Then how did you induce symptoms?" Brennan asked suspiciously. Angela smiled mysteriously and looked as if she wasn't going to tell them. For about thirty seconds, but she was dying to let them know how devious she had been and caved.

"I simply switched out that decaf coffee crap he keeps in his office for something a little more….caffeinated." After Hodgins experience with the brownies, he was curious about what the artist considered a "little more caffeinated".

"How much more, Ange?" She turned and gave him an approving look for asking.

"Five and a half times more caffeinated than your average cup of coffee. Oh, and anytime we were together and he had coffee, I put one of these into it." She reached into her pocket and dug out a small container that looked like the ones restaurants gave you containing cream for your coffee and handed it to Brennan, sitting back in her seat with satisfaction. Brennan looked down at the little container in her hand. It was something for your coffee, but according to the label, it contained eight times the normal amount of caffeine in a cup of coffee and would give your system a jolt. Booth read the label and looked at the list in Brennan's hand.

"I'm guessing that all the caffeine took care of resting tremors and a subjective sensation of internal trembling." Angela nodded.

"Yep. The rest of them," she pointed at the paper in Brennan's hand, "I just pointed out repeatedly until he started to notice them himself." She broke off in giggles. "I just think it's funny that he was noticing symptoms that he doesn't even have." She explained her giggles. "Then I brought up that my grandfather had Parkinson's and he should definitely bring all these symptoms to the attention of his doctor." They all took a moment to digest what Angela had said. She had done exactly what had been asked of her and done it well but they were all a little uncomfortable with how much she had enjoyed it. Hodgins had a good idea where the attitude came from, he thought rubbing his arm where the tattoo of Angela still rested, thanks to her father. Brennan's eyes drifted across the other occupants of the room and she made a decision.

"I really appreciate that everyone was so prepared to seek vengeance for me, but this is not the way to make Sweets aware of his transgressions. This needs to stop. Is everyone in agreement?" She received three nods and one stubborn shake of the head. Brennan turned her attention to Angela.

"Ange, I love that you are willing to hurt Sweets because he hurt me, but this is childish and pointless. Please, Ange, this needs to stop today." Angela looked into Brennan's eyes and saw her conviction and knew she wouldn't be changing her mind. Angela nodded reluctantly. She still had one thing planned for Sweets that the others didn't know about and Brennan had given her the rest of the day. She could work with that.

"And you'll tell him that he doesn't have Parkinson's when you meet him? Or maybe I should tell him that. After all, we," pointing to herself and Booth, "need to talk to him and explain the rationale behind our actions." Brennan was lost in her musing when Angela burst in.

"No! I'll tell him, Bren. Don't worry about it." Brennan's eyes narrowed at Angela's vehemence but she took her at her word and nodded her agreement. She wouldn't have given in quite so easily if she had been able to read Angela's mind. Within 10 minutes, they had all found something to do and scattered from Brennan's office. Angela went to her office and pulled out her cell phone.

"Hi, Dad. No, nothing's wrong. I need your help." She smiled at his response.

"No, Dad. I don't need you to beat up Hodgins. Or anybody else," she added hurriedly. "I need some info about…," she broke off as Hodgins breached the closed door and entered her office. "Hold on," she told her dad and turned on Hodgins.

"What is it, Hodgins. Can't you see that I'm on the phone here?" Since she waggled the cell phone directly under his nose, then yes, he could see that she was making a call. Taking the snarky tone of voice into account, Hodgins decided that a swift retreat was in his best interest and walked out of the room and closed the door behind him without a word. Angela knew that she had been a little short with him, but she was working under a time constraint here, not to mention the secrecy so the others didn't shut her down. She returned to her conversation with her father with a plan forming in her mind. She just needed to work out a few details and her dad was just the man to help her with that.

Ten hours later, Lance Sweets groaned and grabbed his aching head as he returned to consciousness. He forced his eyes open and looked around, recognizing that he was lying on the sofa in his apartment. He just had no idea how he had gotten there. The last thing that he remembered was him and Angela meeting at a local bar. After the day he'd had he was more than ready to drown his sorrows and Angela had encouraged him to get rip roaring drunk, saying that it always made her feel better. Sweets had only been drunk once before and he didn't remember feeling this bad afterward and he certainly didn't remember his chest throbbing and burning like this. Oh, God, maybe he was having a heart attack. _That would certainly be a perfect ending to his day from hell_, he thought. His hand automatically went to his chest to rub the spot that was paining him so. He was surprised to find a large, thick bandage directly over his heart.

"It's about time you woke up, sleepy head." Sweets jumped as the voice came out of the darkness and a lamp was switched on across the room. He pulled himself to a sitting position on the couch and squinted to see Angela sitting in an armchair across the room.

"Angela? What are you doing here? How did I get here?" He was holding his head with one hand and rubbing his chest with the other. Angela checked her watch and grinned. Eleven thirty, she had a little time to play with him. She had been getting concerned that she was going to have to smack him around to wake him up to keep to her timetable and found herself a little disappointed that he had woken on his own.

"What do you mean, Sweets?" her eyes were innocently wide. "You got drunk and I brought you home. That's what friends do for each other. Friends watch out for each other and don't let their friends get hurt. Right, Sweets?" Sweets knew there was some kind of subtext to Angela's words but his head ached too much to figure it out.

"Angela, please, my head really hurts," he whined and winced as the sound of his own voice made his head pound, "if you have something to say, just say it so I can go to bed." Angela decided to do just that.

"Fine. Listen up, Sweets. I have good news and bad news. Which would you like to hear first?" He was now holding his head with both hands and moaning under his breath. _He sure could use some good news to balance out his crappy day,_ he decided.

"Good news," he whispered.

"You don't have Parkinson's disease," she told him cheerfully. His head shot up and the room started spinning. He fell back to a half reclining position on the sofa and grabbed his head. He heard Angela's words but his brain just wouldn't process them.

"I don't understand." Angela was glad to explain.

"We know why you didn't tell Bren that Booth wasn't dead, Sweets." Her voice was coated with steel and disgust. His head shot up and she continued. "The real reason, not that crap that you fed everyone." His eyes rounded and his brain suddenly started working at warp speed. _Crap. _ He had been really scared when Brennan confronted him that she would tell Booth and he would retaliate, but when time passed and nothing was said he thought he was safe. _Apparently not._ Now he knew for sure what this morning was about.

"Dr. Brennan told you?" He was incredulous that she would share this with Angela and not Booth.

"No. I overheard you two on the stairs that day. You really shouldn't have put her through that, Sweets. It was unprofessional and just downright mean. How could you hurt her like that on purpose?" Sweets met her eyes and started laughing.

"How did I hurt her, Angela? She had no reaction whatsoever. Sometimes I think that she doesn't have feelings." Angela was livid and had to force herself to remain in her chair and not fly across the room and physically attack the laughing man. Angela's voice made him snap to attention and stopped his laughter. It was low and menacing and gave him the creeps.

"Oh, she reacted all right. But her friends, her real friends and family, protected her from prying people like you, Sweets. But I think it's about time that you saw the results of your little experiment." She drew a DVD from her bag and laid it on the table beside her. She was a little afraid that Brennan would be angry with her about giving him the footage from Limbo covering her camp out (they had added security cameras after Zach) and she absolutely hated that he would be getting feedback on his little experiment, but Angela thought that he needed to see for himself just how much Brennan hadn't reacted to losing Booth. She tapped the DVD case with one finger and looked him straight in the eye and he shivered at the ice in her eyes. "I will pick this up in twenty four hours and if I ever see what is on this DVD in print, you will regret it." He was stunned. _What had happened to the Angela who was fast becoming his best friend?_

"Are you _threatening_ me?" She never broke eye contact.

"No, I'm just telling you what will happen if you try to gain from the emotional torment that you caused my best friend. I consider it fair warning." His mind suddenly made a connection and he couldn't believe what he was thinking. _Holy Crap._ Every bad thing that had happened to him lately wasn't just bad luck but he had to make sure.

"You don't really want to be my friend, do you Angela?" She looked at him levely and replied honestly.

"Sweets, I really liked you before you started treating your patients like lab rats. I, personally, feel like what you did to Bren is unforgivable. You're lucky that she's a better person than me, because she called everyone off today and you'll return to your nice, boring little life like you never turned into Dr. Frankenstein. So, no, Sweets, I don't want to be anybody's friend that treats friends or patients the way you treated Bren and Booth." Sweets had to agree that she had a point, but he wouldn't admit it out loud. He zeroed in on one statement.

"She called everybody off? Who all was in on this?" Angela didn't see any harm in telling him. He couldn't prove anything and maybe something would make him realize how unacceptable and unprofessional his actions had been because he just didn't seem to be getting it.

"Bren's family." Sweets knew that meant Booth and Angela but wasn't sure about who else and he wanted to find out who had been responsible for everything bad that had happened to him lately.

"Angela, who was responsible for my car being towed and getting lost in impound?"

"Booth."

"My security clearance being rescinded?"

"Booth." _Dammit, he should have figured this out sooner_. After all, it was highly unlikely that a computer glitch would have only your security clearance revoked eight times while affecting no one else.

"The, um, stomach, um, issues?" Angela smirked.

"That one was all me." Sweets was startled at the glee in her voice. _Man, she was vicious._ That was the exact moment that he began to get nervous about what he had done.

"Whose idea was it to make me think I had Parkinson's? I have to tell you that was just plain mean, Angela." Her eyes narrowed and she practically spat her answer at him.

"It was Cam's idea. And you don't get to tell me that something is mean, you little dweeb. You broke my best friend because you were curious. That isn't just mean, it's cruel and vicious on a level that you obviously don't understand. You're just lucky that she didn't tell Booth when you did it. He would have smashed you into tiny little dork pieces." From the satisfaction in her voice at the thought of physical violence befalling him, Sweets was beginning to get that Angela, and the whole squint squad, were rather perturbed with him over his behavior. "I'll bet that you tortured small animals as a child, hell, you probably still do." His head jerked back. Direct hit with that one. She had just implied that he was a sociopath well on his way to becoming a serial killer. _Was that really what they thought of him? _He opened his mouth to try and explain his motivations, then closed it as he realized that Angela was exactly right. He had done it because he was curious about her reaction. Yes, there was scientific reasoning there, but it was mostly curiosity and he felt shame over his actions for the first time. Angela saw the moment that he began to see how wrong his actions were but this was a situation where a sorry just didn't cut it. _She wasn't done with him and her time was running out_, she noted looking at her watch.

"The other good news is that you can find another apartment now." Sweets mouth fell open. No way that the squints were responsible for his eviction notice and rejection from every other apartment that he had applied for. Granted they were brilliant, powerful people, but that seemed beyond their reach to him.

"Angela, you can't expect me to believe that you guys are responsible for me being evicted. How is that possible?" Angela shrugged nonchalantly.

"Hodgins bought your building." His eyes widened. "And every building that you applied for." She answered the question in his eyes before it could form on his tongue. He was staggered. That move had to have cost Hodgins several million dollars and that clued Sweets in on just how serious the whole team was on causing him mental anguish. He swallowed hard and prayed that he was wrong about what was on the video that Angela had given him. If it was as bad as he was beginning to suspect, then he deserved everything that they had done and much, much more.

"Does saying I'm sorry help at all?" Angela's head tilted consideringly but she just wasn't feeling a proper amount of remorse from Sweets. He had made progress tonight, but he still didn't quite get it.

"Nope. Just not feeling it, Sweets. Besides, I'm not the one you should be apologizing to and you know it." She was right, but the thought of admitting aloud what he had done to Booth and Brennan scared the crap out of him. He couldn't imagine a scenario where that conversation ended well for him. Angela looked at her watch and saw that she needed to get moving. She leaned forward and pinned him with a stare that he immediately termed her evil, laser eyes. He was afraid to look away.

"Listen up, Sweets and listen well because you should consider this critical, need to know information. Are you with me so far?" He gulped and nodded. "Here's how it's going to be. I already know that your sessions with Booth and Bren have been suspended." His eyebrows rose, but Angela didn't respond. "If that restriction is ever lifted and they have to continue therapy, you will give them the choice of continuing with you or another therapist." He opened his mouth to protest but her raised hand and _I'm not finished yet_ brow shut him up.

"If they choose to continue with you," her voice reflected her belief that wouldn't happen in a million years and Sweets crossed his arms and glared at her, silently telling her that he wouldn't agree to her terms. Angela continued, undaunted, "You will ONLY give them therapy related to work. You will not interfere in their personal lives. You will not experiment on them in any way."

"NO!" Sweets burst in. _She couldn't make him do anything_, Sweets told himself _and he wouldn't give the partners up as patients without a fight_. Angela was not happy with either the interruption or the attitude. She gave him a warning look that froze him in place. _Angela was really scary when she was mad_, he decided.

"Don't even think about giving me attitude right now, Sweets. I had a feeling that you wouldn't want to do this so I think you should take a look at something." She drew an envelope out of her purse and handed it to him. "Go ahead. Look at what's inside," she encouraged.

There was no address on the envelope and it wasn't sealed. He drew out the three sheets of paper inside reluctantly. He had a feeling that he wasn't going to like this. He was right, his eyes widened as he scanned the first two. _Oh, this was very bad, _but the last one nearly took his breath away. The first two were official letters of complaint to the Jeffersonian and FBI, respectively, outlining Sweet's behavior and accusing him of abuse of power, unprofessional conduct and deliberately inflicting emotional harm on his patients in the name of scientific inquiry. The third was to the ethics board governing the licensing of Psychologists in this state. They were all three signed by Brennan and Booth. The first two letters would definitely get him fired but the last one would end his career and he knew it. He decided to try to bluff his way out of this.

"Angela, you can't prove that I did anything wrong." She shook her head at him sadly as if she was sorely disappointed in his attitude and she was. Her gaze never wavered and the amused smile with the evil, laser eyes made him shiver.

"That's the beauty of this, Sweets. I don't have to prove your motives, I just have to prove that you did harm and I have that proof right here." She picked up the DVD and waved it around then replaced it on the table. She was right and he knew it. If the ethics board didn't pull his license, his career would be ruined by the accusations. He sighed tiredly.

"What do you want, Angela?"

"I want you to suffer the horrors of hell on earth for a lot longer than you have, but, lucky for you, this isn't about what I want." His eyes almost popped out of his head as she casually wished him to hell, but he was afraid to interrupt her as she laid out her demands. "You will do exactly as I said about Bren and Booth's therapy. If, at any time, you step out of line," she paused to draw three envelopes out of her purse and handed to them. They were addressed to the Jeffersonian, the FBI and the ethics board as well as sealed and stamped. Sweets could feel that each contained a DVD and his shoulders sagged in defeat and Angela got an evil little smile of satisfaction on her face as she continued. "These letters will be mailed and I really don't think you want that, do you, Sweets?" he shook his head and she snatched the envelopes out of his hands returning them to her purse. She jerked on his arm grabbing the envelopes and it sent a burning sensation across his chest. He automatically rubbed the area and frowned as he remembered the bandage. He looked at Angela accusingly.

"What did you do to me?" Angela looked innocent.

"Me? I didn't do anything, Sweets." Sweets looked relieved and confused. Angela took care of both of those. "You walked into that tattoo parlor and asked for a tattoo under your own steam." Sweets jerked up his shirt and stared at the large bandage in horror. "It's not really my fault that you chose the design that I had been working on and just happened to have in my purse." Now he was looking at her in horror. She raised a brow and continued, "That design carries a very strong message, Sweets."

She had left her seat and was slowly walking toward him. She reached the couch and leaned over until they were nose to nose as she gave him the message. "It means that I love my family and I don't like to see them hurt. And if you _ever_ mess with any of my family again, little boy, I won't play so nice. Got it?" He was so scared of her right now that he was incapable of speech so he nodded and hoped she would leave. She was finished with him and straightened, grabbing her purse and heading for the door. Sweets heaved a sigh of relief as her heard the door open. She turned back to share one more thing. "Oh, Sweets, my father recommended that tattoo parlor and tells me that the specialty technique that they use makes removal of the tattoo very difficult and extremely painful. It usually leaves scarring that requires skin grafts. Just thought you should know. You really should take a look at it. It's a beautiful piece of artwork. And you don't have to thank me. Consider it a parting gift since we're not going to be BFF's anymore." Her laughter floated back to him as she walked out his front door at 11:59 PM.

It took Sweets a few minutes to recover after Angela's departure and then he began to wonder about the tattoo. Making his way toward the bathroom, he began to loosen the tape around the edges of the bandage, hissing in pain as the tape pulled on the sore flesh beneath. Standing in front of the mirror, he peeled the whole thing off and took a look. The entire area was red and inflamed but he could tell that Angela was correct, it was a beautiful piece of artwork and it scared the crap out of him.

First he saw the handle of an antique dagger. It was covered with roughly cut gemstones, rubies, emeralds, diamonds and some that Sweets couldn't identify. That was the beautiful part. The scary part was that the tattoo was almost three dimensional and looking down Sweets gulped. It appeared that the blade of the dagger had been plunged directly into his heart and buried to the hilt. There were blue banners unfurling above and below the dagger. The top one said, _Never Forget_. The bottom one said, _Family is everything_. Sweets definitely got the message. He dropped down to sit on the toilet and buried his head in his hands. His life was falling apart and he had no idea how to fix it, but he knew one thing with 100% certainty. He would never, ever mess with one of the squints again.


	40. Chapter 40

This one is kind of long but there is gratuitous sex at the end, so read on. Please take the time to review and thank you for reading.

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Lance Sweets sat in Dr Pearson's office waiting for her to take care of something and return to start his session. He was staring morosely at a picture on the wall and fingering the DVD in his pocket. He hadn't had time to watch it yet.

He had pretty much passed out as soon as Angela left his apartment last night and had woken late this morning because he had slept on the couch and couldn't hear the alarm from the bedroom. He had bolted upright and, for just a minute, felt relief that the awful events of last night were a very vivid dream.

The pain that his movements sent shooting across his chest told him that it had been no dream, but he lifted his shirt to make certain and, sure enough, the tattoo was still there. He looked over to the end table beside where Angela had been sitting and the DVD was still there. He frowned as he saw some papers on the table that he had definitely not put there and dragged himself off the sofa to take a look.

He approached the table as if something on it was going to jump up and bite him on the butt and tried to get a good look at the papers without touching them. Finally, giving up on that, he reached out and gingerly grabbed the papers, sighing in relief when nothing happened. There were four sheets of paper. Three were the letters that Angela had threatened him with the night before. The fourth was a copy of a consent form from the tattoo parlor and he had to acknowledge that it was definitely his signature on the form giving them permission to perform the procedure on him. His initials also graced the paragraph that explained the special process that they used and the difficulty of removing one of their tattoos, indicating that he had read and understood the contents. He looked around, hoping that Angela had left him a note. No such luck and he took just a moment to admire her cunning. She had provided him with undeniable proof that he had consented to the tattoo as well as reiterating the threats of the letters and was way too smart to leave him a threatening note that could be used against her. Man, the mob could take lessons from her.

He had finally caught sight of a clock and realized that he was running very late. He had hurriedly bathed and dressed, keeping his tattoo dry as per the instructions and redressing it. Angela had even provided dressing materials and antibacterial ointment. _It obviously wouldn't suit her purposes for him to die of an infection _he thought dejectedly. Angel had said that Dr Brennan had called them off but he got the feeling that Angela would strike again if the opportunity arose. _He certainly wouldn't be eating or drinking anything that she had come into contact with._ He had barely made his appointment with Dr. Pearson and she'd had step out for a quick consult. Sweets fingered the DVD in his pocket and lost himself in thought.

He didn't even notice when Amanda returned to the room. He was excellent at multi tasking and he was concentrating on the DVD so hard that his brain just took over and started answering her questions. Amanda was thrilled with this development. Nobody lied to you when they were in this state, similar to hypnosis except that they were fully conscious. She had already greeted him so she figured he was fair game.

"Dr Sweets, do you still think that Dr. Brennan and Agent Booth are out to get you?" _Should he watch the video or not? _

"Not anymore." She nodded at his response, pleased that his paranoia seemed to have diminished. "Dr Brennan called all of them off yesterday." _Maybe, she had been a little too fast in deciding that his paranoia was less today._

"Exactly who did Dr. Brennan call off, Dr. Sweets?" _If he watched and it was as bad as he feared, how would he feel about his actions, even about himself? _

"Booth, Hodgins, Cam and Angela. _Wow. Not only hadn't his paranoia not lessened, but now he thought there was a conspiracy against him._ But she needed confirmation that this was what he believed.

"Are you saying that these people were participating in a conspiracy with the goal of causing you harm?" _On the other hand, he was more than a little afraid of Angela._

"Yes." _Okey, dokey, then. A paranoid, conspiracy theorist. How did she get so lucky?_

"And they don't want to hurt you anymore?" _And Angela had made it clear that she wanted him to see the video._

"Apparently not. All but Angela." Amanda really didn't know what to make of this. She had never heard anything quite like it before. She would be very interested in seeing his apartment. _She would be willing to bet that he had a tin foil hat that he donned as soon as he walked in the front door._

"So Angela still wants to hurt you?" _But, really, what could she do to him?_ He shuddered at the possibilities running through his mind.

"Angela wants me to burn in hell." _Well, that gave a pretty clear indication that someone didn't like you. _

"Really? How do you know that?" _And he was a scientist, after all, he had started the whole thing as a scientific experiment and he should at least gather any available data concerning the outcome._

"She told me so. And the tattoo was a pretty good clue." Amanda's eyes narrowed.

"What tattoo?" He absently pulled up his shirt to reveal the bandage over his tattoo. All the excuses aside, he knew that he had to watch the video for himself, regardless of what Angela said. His mind made up he looked around to find Dr. Pearson looking at the bandage on his chest and him holding his shirt up so that she could. He jerked his shirt down and frantically tried to remember what he had said to her. Amanda was a little bummed that Sweets had joined the conversation; she knew she would have a harder time getting answers out of him now that his full attention was on the subject at hand. She gestured at his chest.

"Did Angela give you the tattoo?" Sweets chewed on his lower lip, debating his answer.

"Not exactly." Amanda looked intrigued.

"Dr. Sweets, I need you to be straight with me here and not play word games. Did Angela give you the tattoo?"

"No."

"See, that wasn't so hard was it? _Maybe not for her, but he couldn't believe how much being in therapy sucked. _ Surely, it was Dr. Pearson and his patients didn't think it sucked. If they did he was starting to see why Dr. Brennan and Booth were somewhat reluctant to be in therapy. Her voice pulled him back.

"So, Dr. Sweets, how about you show me your tattoo?" he grimaced then decided why the heck not. It wasn't like he had any privacy or dignity left after Cullen had marched into his office and caught him holding that devise. He shrugged and pulled up his shirt, gingerly loosening the tape and pulling off the bandage. She was impressed. The tattoo was beautiful, but she was a little disturbed by the content.

"Dr. Sweets, have you ever thought about hurting yourself?" His head jerked up.

"No," he denied vehemently. "Why would you think that?" She gestured at the tattoo.

"I find you choosing a dagger that seems to be piercing your heart a little disturbing. It could indicate an unconscious desire to harm yourself." He gave her a droll look.

"Or it could indicate that Angela got me drunk and talked me into a tattoo that has meaning for her." Amanda's brows rose and Sweets wished he had kept his mouth shut.

"What kind of personal meaning does your tattoo have for Angela?" No way was Sweets going there. Catching sight of his watch, he grinned. He was getting almost as good as Booth and Brennan at this.

"Times up today," he announced happily and ran out the door. Amanda made her final notes for the session:

Dr. Sweets' paranoia is not only increasing at an alarming rate, it has expanded to include several of Dr. Brennan's colleagues whom he believes were involved in a conspiracy to cause him harm which was, apparently, called off yesterday. He is fixated on one person within the conspiracy, one Angela Montenegro and I would have to say that he has the potential to be a danger to Ms. Montenegro if his obsession with her continues to grow. He has acquired a tattoo which has disturbing content. It shows a dagger plunged into his heart. When asked if he had suicidal ideations, he denied it, but quickly left the room. I am going to monitor Dr Sweets closely and if his condition continues to deteriorate, then I will have no choice but to medicate him or send him for inpatient treatment.

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Booth, Parker and Wendell came noisily through the front door of Brennan's apartment, straight from hockey practice. It was the first one that Brennan had missed in several months, but she had been so tied up at work that she hadn't been able to work on her book and her publisher had become so annoying and hounded her so diligently that she stayed at home to work on it and had just finished twenty minutes before her boys got home. And it was home. Booth had given up his apartment and most of his big stuff was in storage but he had definitely put his stamp on her apartment with his sports memorabilia and his things lying around everywhere. It was taking a real effort on Brennan's part to just let the little things go or she would be nagging him constantly and they would both be miserable. They were even talking about getting a bigger place, maybe even a house.

"Baby, I'm home." Brennan rolled her eyes. _Like she hadn't heard them stomp through the door like a herd of elephants._

"Bones, I'm home, too." Brennan smiled at Parkers greeting.

"Dr. B, I'm home, too." She laughed at Wendell's greeting. It had become the norm for Wendell to join them for a meal after practice and a game, be it at home or out and he had picked up Hodgins' habit of calling her Dr. B, but never in the lab. He wanted to do well on his own with no hint of nepotism tainting his success. Parker had come to look at Wendell as a big brother and almost idolized him, which was ok with Booth and Brennan. They both liked Wendell and thought he would be a good influence on Parker. Still laughing, she answered the three males.

"In the kitchen." Booth sent Parker and Wendell to put away Parker's and his equipment while he went to offer Brennan his assistance in the kitchen. Wendell and Parker rolled their eyes at each other behind Booth's back; knowing that helping her cook was not what Booth was going to offer Brennan. He walked into the kitchen and found her stirring something on the stove. He walked up behind her and slid his arms around her waist, pulling her back against him and leaning down to nuzzle her neck.

"Hi." She turned in his arms and slid hers up around his neck.

"Hi." His head descended and she caught sight of his jaw which was swollen and already bruising.

"Booth," she gasped, "what happened?" He shrugged.

"It's hockey, Baby. People get hurt. It's the nature of the game." She put on her stubborn face and pulled back. Booth jerked her back against him and her brow rose.

"Are you really going to make me ask Parker?" He sighed.

"Harry got me with his stick." Brennan was aghast.

"What? I hope you hit him back." _Wow. Bloodthirsty Bones. He liked it._ While she was distracted, he turned whatever was on the stove off and guided her backward until her back bumped against the wall.

"No, Baby, I didn't hit him back. He said it was an accident and you don't retaliate for an accident." She looked up at him with laughter filled eyes. One of his hands was braced on the wall slightly above and to the left of her head. The other was on her waist.

"Want me to kick his $$ for you?" _Really bloodthirsty Bones. He really liked it. _ He stepped in closer, sliding a hard thigh between hers and bringing her chest into close contact with his. His forehead dropped to rest on hers.

"Maybe later, but right now, you could do something else for me."

"What might that be?" A slow, sexy smile spread across his face.

"Kiss it and make it better." Brennan used a hand behind his neck to tilt his head down and laid tiny butterfly kisses along his bruised jaw. She moved on to his ear, lightly nipping the lobe, then soothing the sting with her tongue. Booth groaned and pressed his growing arousal against her, causing her hips to jerk forward and they both groaned at the contact.

"Did you get hurt anywhere else?" It took Booth a moment to understand what she was asking and when he did, he shot her a huge grin and pointed to his lips. Brennan gave his lips a thorough scrutiny and her face scrunched in the way that never failed to rev up Booth's libido.

"I don't see any swelling or bruising, Booth. Are you sure you got hurt there?" He nodded and she pushed up on her tiptoes, making sure that her entire body rubbed against his when she did. His eyes closed in pleasure. Her lips made feather light contact with his, rubbing softly against his and moving back every time that he tried to deepen the kiss. "Booth, if your lips are injured, I don't want to cause you more discomfort." He opened his eyes to see if she was serious and saw beautiful blue eyes brimming with laughter.

"I'll show you sore lips, you little tease."

"Me? What about you..?" Her words were cut off as his mouth crashed into hers, pushing her lips apart and sending his tongue inside to explore and map every inch of her mouth. He had her pressed to the wall so tightly that she could barely breathe and was eating at her mouth with his lips, teeth and tongue. And she couldn't believe how much it turned her on. _God, she loved hockey_. Booth was always very aggressive after practice or a game and she invariably wound up pressed up against something as clothing was hurriedly discarded. Today was no exception.

Booth's hand tangled in her hair and he tilted her head to a better angle to deepen his kisses. His other hand had gone to her breast, kneading and squeezing, lightly pinching the nipple. She moaned into his mouth and arched into his hand, her hands slipping beneath his t-shirt to lightly caress his chest and move to his back, pulling him closer. Booth knew there was some reason that they shouldn't be doing this right now, but he couldn't remember why and couldn't gather up the will to stop.

He was always a little wound up after practice or a game and had quickly learned that releasing the lingering aggressiveness in their lovemaking made Brennan crazy. And seeing her out of control made him crazy. His breath hissed out as she put both hands on his buttocks and pulled him against her, hard. His hands moved to the buttons on her blouse as she held him against her and ground her groin against him. Things were getting a little out of control when Wendell and Parker walked into the kitchen, Parker directly in front of Wendell.

"What's for dinner, Bones? I'm starving." They both caught sight of the couple at the same time. Wendell pulled Parker back against him and clapped one hand over the little boy's eyes and the other over his own.

"Oh my God, can't you two give it a rest? There is a child in the house." Wendell gulped hard. He hadn't meant to say that, it had just slipped out in his surprise, but he really shouldn't be surprised. He had seen Booth push her up against the parking garage wall so many times that Booth should be embarrassed but, apparently, he was not as he kept doing it. Wendell's voice brought the couple back to their senses, thankfully before clothes had been shed. They leaned into each other breathing hard, foreheads touching and gazed into each other's eyes. Parker giggled at Wendell's words and added his own.

"Yeah, get a room." Parker had no idea what he had just suggested, but grinned as Wendell snorted with laughter. He was squirming and trying to pull Wendell's hand away from his eyes when Booth spoke.

"Very funny, guys. Bones and I need a couple of minutes, so if you two delinquents don't mind, scoot." Wendell nodded and almost fell as he tried to turn himself and Parker toward the door without uncovering their eyes.

"Wendell, you can uncover your eyes. Seeing two people in a sexual situation has never been connected with ocular degeneration and blindness." Wendell felt his face flush furiously. _Thank you, Dr. B._ His eyes had been covered because he didn't want those images in his head but thanks to her words he was pretty sure that they had now been burned into his memory. And as for images that he never, ever wanted in his head, these ranked right up there with his parents making out. He slowly spread his fingers and peeked to make certain it was ok to let Parker look. They hadn't moved but were no longer kissing and grabbing each other inappropriately, so he uncovered Parker's eyes. Booth had put a hand over Brennan's mouth to stifle her words.

"Bones, there is an eight year old in the room, so no s-e-x talk, please." She pushed his hand away from her mouth.

"Booth, I'm pretty sure that most eight year olds would know that you just spelled sex and I know that Parker, who is very intelligent and advanced for his age, knows it. Besides, there is nothing wrong with discussing sex with children. They are naturally curious and their quest…," Booth kissed her to shut her up and they were instantly thrown back into the passion that always flared when they touched each other. Parker and Wendell looked at each other and rolled their eyes.

"They do this _a lot_," there was disgust that only an eight year old boy can garner toward anything romantic dripping from his tone.

"Yeah, I know." Wendell unconsciously echoed his tone. "Come on, Parker." He ushered the little boy out of the room. "Let's order pizza."

"Make it half veggie," called Brennan. She had managed to retain enough of her senses to pull away from Booth's latest assault on her senses. She was trying to get his attention, but he had latched onto her neck, licking and sucking and she couldn't budge him. His hands were starting to wander again and she closed her eyes and just savored the pleasurable sensations for a moment, then grabbed both of his hands in hers as they began to wander into dangerous territory.

"Booth, stop it." Her voice was weak with desire and it didn't help that she spoke directly into his ear, her breath puffing across the sensitive shell and sending a shiver down his spine. He had licked his way to her collarbone and was quickly moving south. Brennan wanted nothing more that to just drag him off to bed, but their time with Parker was limited and she didn't want to be responsible for Booth losing one second of time with his son. She turned loose of his hands and groaned as they instantly went to parts that he shouldn't be touching when other people were in the apartment. She jerked his head up and firmed her voice. "Booth, stop it right now. Parker and Wendell are here." She watched as the flames of desire in his eyes were banked but not extinguished. He nodded and rested his forehead against hers, breathing hard.

"We will be picking this up later." He sounded as if he expected her to argue. If so, he was sadly mistaken. They would definitely be picking this up later. She nodded and gave him a quick kiss. He moved and she slipped around him, heading for the kitchen door. She realized that he wasn't behind her and looked back in confusion.

"Come on, Booth. Parker and Wendell are ordering Pizza and I'm sure that they will want you to play those pointless electronic games with them." Booth gave her an amused look.

"It's a playstation, Bones. And they are not pointless. There is always a goal to the game. And I seem to recall that someone else had been playing those pointless, electronic games lately." She gave him a sheepish smile and shrug. "Besides, I need a few minutes before I can go out there." At her questioning frown, he looked down pointedly. She followed his gaze and grinned at the tenting of the front of his pants.

"Oh, well, I'll just wait on you, then." A few weekends ago, Parker had talked Brennan into playing one of the playstation games with him and, even though she put them down, she had become addicted, practicing at night and on the weekends so that she could beat Parker. Booth wasn't sure how healthy it was for her to be that competitive with an eight year old, but she and Parker were beyond tight and it wouldn't cause hard feeling on either side when one lost to the other. He knew she was just dying to get out there and put her skills to the test.

"No, Baby, you go ahead. I know you can't wait to challenge Parker." He gave her a tender smile. "Besides, I will be decent a whole lot faster if you're not in the room." Her eyebrow arched and her smile turned wicked as she started toward him, her hips swaying exaggeratedly.

"Really?" She stopped directly in front of him, close but not quite touching and looked up at him from under her lashes, biting her lower lip in a move that she knew he had a hard time resisting. He caught her hands in his as she reached out to touch his chest.

"Stop it, Baby." He was almost begging and she gave him such a feminine smile of satisfaction that his eyes narrowed. She liked the effect she had on him, but not nearly as much as he did and he had the same effect on her so he knew that they both would be wearing satisfied smiles tonight. But right now, he had to distract her because she had on her _I think that I'll play with Booth and make him crazy with no possibility of doing something about if right now _face. He saw that look often and loved and hated it at the same time because, as with everything else she did, she was very, very good at it. "Bones, behave. You go play the playstation with Parker and Wendell and I'll be out in a few minutes." He had meant for his voice to come out forceful but it was actually pleading. She stepped closer.

"What if I'd rather play with you, Booth?" _Yeah, she always enjoyed playing with him. _

"We'll play tonight." He brushed a strand of hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear.

"Whatever I want?" Her eyes gazed innocently into his.

"Sure, Baby, whatever you want." He saw the satisfied smile that flashed across her face and knew instantly that he had just been played. _Damn, Parker was a bad influence on Bones._ Parker was teaching her a lot of things, but Booth would rather how to manipulate him into getting what she wanted not be one of them. He already had a hard time saying no to her. With lessons from Parker he would be putty in her hands. _Oh, who was he kidding? He was already putty in her hands_. He gave her a wink, placed his hands on her shoulders, turned her toward the door and gave her a sharp smack on the rear to get her moving.

"Go, play with the boys before they have to go." Booth didn't even realize that he had grouped Wendell in with Parker in their little family. Brennan did and gave a soft smile. She then turned her head and glared at Booth, rubbing her abused bottom. Her look told him that he would be paying for that later. God, he hoped so. He loved her creative punishments. He sat back with a contented sigh and listened to his little family as Brennan joined the boys in the living room.

"Parker, I challenge you to the next game." Parker scoffed at Brennan's challenge.

"Are you sure you want to do that, Bones? Because I will so toast you." Booth chuckled at Brennan's response.

"I don't know what that means." He could just see that little furrow that appeared between her eyebrows just before she uttered those words.

"It's trash talk, Dr. B." Wendell jumped in helpfully. As Brennan had no idea what that meant, she found it less than helpful, but she appreciated the effort and gave him a smile that told him so.

"I don't know what that means." Booth stood when he heard frustration seeping into Brennan's voice and headed out to rescue his damsel in distress.

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Four hours later, Booth and Brennan returned to her apartment after returning Parker to Rebecca. The door had barely shut behind them before Booth had her firmly pinned between his body and the door, burying both hands in her hair and tilting her head to the side, taking her mouth in a deep, wet, passionate kiss that weakened her knees and made her moan. She clutched at his shoulders and just held on as he ravaged her mouth with his. She had been teasing him all afternoon and his post hockey aggressiveness combined with being hard and aching for the last few hours just about put him over the edge of losing control right here and now. His body was screaming for him to just push up her skirt and take her up against the door NOW. After all, it wasn't like she was wearing panties that would get in the way and she had made sure that he knew it, too.

After her and Parker tying 2-2 on the video game, she had decided that she was going to change clothes. Booth had given her a few minutes and then followed her as she had known he would. He pushed their bedroom door open just enough to slip inside just as she let the skirt bunched at her waist fall over the naked perfection of her ass and flutter around her legs. She had pretended to be surprised when she turned around and saw him, but he knew better. Giving him a smile, she started to leave the bedroom and he grabbed her arm.

"What are you doing, Bones?" he growled huskily.

"I don't know what you mean, Booth." She gave him the innocent eyes but her voice was overly theatrical as it only was when she was acting. He gave her a stern look and she looked even more innocent. Booth thought Parker had been giving her lessons on that, too.

"The panties, Bones, or rather the lack of panties. What's that all about?" She waved him closer with a crooked finger and his head bent. She leaned up and whispered in his ear.

"Booth, you would be surprised at how often I'm walking around without panties." His eyes closed and he groaned at the images running through his head. He slipped his arms around her and latched onto the firm, perfect globes of her ass and pulled her closer, rubbing her firmly against his erection. The erection that had been caused by the sight of her bare bottom and just knowing that she wasn't wearing panties under that loose skirt. Knowing that he could simply unzip his pants and lift her skirt to slide home made his breath come fast and hard.

"What about Parker and Wendell, Bones? It just doesn't seem right for you to be walking around without any panties with them here." She gave a husky chuckle that puffed against his ear and sent shivers down his spine. His hands had unconsciously been pulling up her skirt and suddenly it was bunched at her waist and his hands were on naked flesh. He ground himself against her, taking her mouth in a passionate kiss as he backed her toward the bed. He had just tumbled her onto the bed, unzipped his pants, freeing his hard on and crawled between her spread thighs, rubbing himself against her dripping entrance when his son called to him.

"Dad, are you coming? It's your turn." _Was he coming? Pretty damn close_, _but not right now, apparently_.

"Yeah, Parker, I'll be right there." Brennan whimpered and wrapped her legs around his waist as he tried to rise from the bed causing him to fall back forward and their positioning was perfect for him to slip about two inches inside of her. She whimpered and tried to pull him closer with her legs, at the same time lifting her hips and taking a couple of more inches inside. Booth growled low in his throat and took slow, deep breaths in an effort to control himself. His son was waiting for him in the next room and if he sunk himself any further into that hot, tight warmth, he would not be leaving this bed anytime soon.

He was in quite a pickle. If he used his hands to break the hold she had around his waist with her legs, he would be in big trouble. His fully extended arms were the only thing keeping him from sinking into her fully and he couldn't give up that leverage. Her hips moved in a circle and then pushed up against him and, against his will, his hips jerked forward, burying him to the hilt. They both let out loud groans and he went down on his elbows, rubbing their chests together. Her arms locked around his neck, pulling his head down and melding their mouths together, tongues probing and clashing. Booth was thrusting hard and fast when a young voice stopped him in mid thrust.

"Dad, are you coming or not?" Parker was coming down the hall, Booth realized in panic, and the bedroom door was closed but not locked. _So, no, he was definitely not coming right now._

"Go back to the living room, Parker. I'll be right there."

"That's what you said five minutes ago, Dad." Parker whined. Booth's voice firmed.

"Go, Parker. I promise I'll be right there." He could hear Parker huffing and wanted to laugh at the theatrics.

"Ok."

"Bones, we have to stop." Booth took her face in both hands and forced her to look at him. She was clenching and unclenching her internal muscles around his hard on and his entire body was rebelling at what he was about to do. He personally thought that God should make him a saint for this act alone.

"What? Why?" she whined. She tightened her arms around his neck and tried to pull him closer. He forced her arms from around his neck and held them to the bed by her wrists. She threw him a wicked, playful grin.

"So you want to play dominant/submissive? I didn't think you were into that, Booth."

"What? No, well, maybe, but later. Right now Parker is waiting on me and I have to go." He cringed as he waited for the explosion. It never came. With a sigh of regret, she gave him a gentle kiss and gentle words.

"Go, Booth. Be with your son. But we will finish this later." Pulling out of her right then was the hardest thing he had ever done. Both of them groaned in disappointment and regret. He leaned his forehead against hers and they both took deep breaths trying to cool down before they went to join the boys in the living room.

"I love you, Bones."

"I know. I love you, too, Booth." Booth finally realized that his hard on was never going to go down with him lying on top of her and he stood, fastening and straightening his clothes, then reached down a hand and pulled her to her feet. She smoothed her skirt down over her hips and headed for the door.

"Um, Bones, aren't you forgetting something?" She looked down at herself then back up at him.

"No, I don't think so, Booth." She looked like she had no idea what he was talking about and he was in a hurry so he just told her.

"The panties, Bones. Aren't you going to put some on?" She threw him a sultry smile, shook her head and sauntered out of the room. Well, damn, his erection was back at full mast. He just knew that this was going to be a very long afternoon. He was right. Brennan teased and tormented him mercilessly by just walking around with him knowing about the panty situation. She sat in his lap and it was all he could do to keep his hands off of her. She rubbed up against him at every opportunity. She gave him what appeared to be chaste little kisses to Parker or Wendell but always darted her tongue into his mouth teasingly. She sat beside him on the couch with her head on his shoulder, whispering in his ear and nipping at the lobe. By the time they took Parker home, Booth was so wound up that he thought he would probably come at a single touch from her.

She was just as turned on. She had frequently had to go to the bathroom this afternoon because of all the wetness pooling between her legs. There were disadvantages to walking around without panties. But, the advantages outweighed the aggravations. The primary advantage being that just knowing that she was bare under her skirt was driving Booth crazy. She could see it in his eyes, all the hot glances he threw her way. She could feel it in his body, as he shuddered or fought back moans when she rubbed up against him. She could feel it in the erection that she subtly rubbed against when she sat in his lap. And every sign of arousal that he showed pushed hers up a notch until she was so horny that she seriously considered excusing herself and taking care of it. Booth had also had the same thought, but he didn't think it would really do any good because Brennan would just get him all revved up again, so he toughed it out.

Until they walked back into her apartment and every thought and desire that he'd had concerning her today slammed into him, pushing him over the edge. He had never been hard this long in his life and his body was screaming for relief. Combined with the aggressive behavior triggered by his hockey practice, you get a hard, horny, aggressive Seeley Booth. And that turned Brennan on even more than she had been.

She was a throbbing, aching mass of need as she wrapped her arms around his neck and tangled her tongue with his. Booth's hands moved over her, frantically caressing her breasts, pinching the nipples into hard nubs and drawing heated gasps from her lips. Her hands moved to his belt buckle and dispensed with it quickly, moving quickly on to the button and zipper on his jeans. He sighed with relief when she lowered his zipper, his aching erection had been more than a little cramped and hissed in pleasure when her soft, little hand circled his penis and began to give it long, slow strokes from base to head. _God, that felt good, better than good. It felt so great that he was going to come very quickly if she kept that up._ He grabbed her hand and broke contact with her laps for the first time.

"Stop, Baby, or this is going to be over very quickly." She was now working on getting his shirt undone and he returned the favor, quickly undoing her shirt and pushing it off her shoulders and down her arms then she did the same for him. He pushed his jeans and underwear down his legs and hastily stepped out of them. Brennan tried to drop to her knees in front of him but he caught her under the arms and pulled her back up, shaking his head at her. She immediately latched onto his nipple with her tongue, lips and teeth. He put both hands under her ass. She tried to push his hands away to step out of the skirt and he shook his head.

"Leave it on." He'd had more than one fantasy about peeling off her panties and fucking her against a wall while she was still wearing a skirt. His hands returned to her ass and lifted her until she put her legs around his waist. His mouth latched onto her neck as he grabbed the hem of her skirt and jerked it up and out of the way.

"I'm sorry, Baby, but I can't wait." He moaned into her ear.

"Me either. Hurry, Booth." She moaned into his ear. She reached down and grabbed his erection, guiding him to her entrance and with one hard thrust he slid home. She almost screamed as his throbbing penis pushed into her, stretching her walls almost painfully. The first thrust was always like that, always like the first time and they both just stopped and savored the moment, then Booth grabbed her ass, lifted her almost off of him then thrust hard and jerked her hips down at the same time. The next thrust, she used her leg muscles to help and they slammed together, both moaning with every movement.

Both were aching and on the edge, their only goal to relieve the desire that had consumed them for the last few hours. Booths hips pistoned as his speed increased and Brennan used her legs to lift and lower herself, matching his thrusts. Brennan suddenly stiffened in his arms and cried out his name as she came hard, her inner wall squeezing him tightly in pulsating waves. His continued thrusts just prolonged her orgasm and soon he was crying out her name as his orgasm hit him hard enough to weaken his knees. Her head was resting on his shoulder and her legs were still around his waist. He leaned against the door above her head until he was sure he could walk then pushed away from the door and carried a very satiated Brennan to the bedroom. If he recalled correctly, they had a game to play tonight.


	41. Chapter 41

**Hope everyone is enjoying the story so far. Please review so that I can know what I'm doing right and wrong. Thanks for reading.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

Lance Sweets sat in his darkened living room, staring at the DVD case in his hand and, once again, debated on whether to watch it or not. He had thought his mind was made up, but his session with Dr. Pearson hadn't gone well, to say the least and he didn't know if he was up to it right now. In the last few days, his life had gone completely out of his control and he had a bad feeling that he completely deserved it, but he didn't know if he could take having that confirmed without screaming in frustration. But, Angela had only given him twenty four hours to watch it before she would be by to collect the DVD, so that gave him a limited window of time (6 hours to be exact) and it wasn't like he had anything better to do right now. He wasn't allowed to see patients until Dr. Pearson cleared it and judging from this morning that might be never.

After leaving Dr. Pearson's office so quickly, he had gone to his empty office and sat behind his desk, trying to see himself from her point of view. Given the information she had undoubtedly gotten from Cullen and how much of an unmitigated disaster his sessions had been so far, she had to think he was nuts and that really bothered him. He had heard unkind things about Dr. Pearson, but he had found her to be professional and even pleasant, and very, very attractive, which was completely inappropriate considering the circumstances. The bottom line was that he needed her to clear him so that he could get back to work and see his patients and he needed to be straight with her for that to happen. And starting right now, he was going to be straight with her, he thought getting up and heading out of his office to hers.

It just so happened that she'd had a cancellation and her secretary sent him right in. Amanda looked up to see Dr. Sweets coming back into her office and raised a brow. Judging by the haste of his departure earlier, she wouldn't have thought he would come back into her office without an appointment no matter the inducement. He gave her a warm smile and closed the door behind him. Her eyes narrowed as she studied the man standing before her. He was her age, she knew from his file but he looked younger with his baby face. This was not the same, dejected, resentful man that she had seen in his sessions. This man was standing tall and radiated confidence and professionalism.

"Dr. Pearson, we really got off on the wrong foot. Totally my fault," he gave a self -deprecating chuckle and moved toward her holding out his hand to shake. "I'm hoping that we can start over." She blinked up at him and he turned on the charm. _Damn,_ she thought, _he was really handsome when he wasn't being all whiny and stalkerish._ Deciding to see what he was up to, she put her hand in his and shook it firmly.

"What can I do for you, Dr. Sweets?"

"I just realized how childish I was being and wanted to speak with you again and explain that all of this is just a big misunderstanding." His posture was relaxed and his smile was even wider as he seated himself comfortably on the sofa. She looked at him with narrowed eyes, wondering what game he was playing and he chuckled.

"I can see that you think I'm trying to play you, Dr. Pearson, but I assure you that I am completely serious. I'm anxious to get this straightened out and get back to work." She sat back and narrowed her eyes.

"Then by all means, Dr. Sweets, straighten away." He laughed outright and she couldn't hide her own smile. He sat forward earnestly; elbows resting on spread knees and hands clasped between them and looked her in the eye.

"Dr. Pearson, this all started when I received a rather inappropriate gift from Dr. Brennan and Agent Booth." Her eyebrow rose and he quickly continued. "Director Cullen interrupted and things just kind of went downhill from there. I would like to ask you to speak with Dr. Brennan and Agent Booth." Both eyebrows rose and Sweets' grin grew. "I have no doubt that they will confirm they were responsible for the gift." Amanda was inwardly grinning at the grimace that crossed his face every time he said the word gift. Sweets was shocked at her response.

"I already have spoken with Dr. Brennan, Dr. Sweets and you're right, she confirmed that she was responsible for your gift. I believe that her exact words were, "After injuring his wrist masturbating, Dr. Sweets seemed very resistant to using a masturbatory aid, so Booth and I provided one for him to prevent further injury." Amanda grinned openly at the scarlet flush that rose from Sweets' shirt collar and flooded his face. He coughed with embarrassment and started to stand.

"So, we're done here and you can clear me to get back to work." He was on his feet and headed for the door. Her voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Sit down, Dr. Sweets. I'm not concerned about your "aides", but I am concerned with the paranoia that you're exhibiting toward Agent Booth, Dr. Brennan and her colleagues." _Crap, it couldn't be that easy, could it?_ He returned to his seat, somewhat less confident.

"Dr. Pearson, I am not paranoid." His tone was pleasant but his expression was bordering on indignant.

"Dr. Sweets, I'm sure you know that most paranoid people don't think that they're paranoid."

"I am not paranoid." He gritted through clenched teeth.

"Do you still believe that Dr. Brennan and her team were involved in a conspiracy against you?" Sweets crossed his arms over his chest and looked pouty.

"You forgot Agent Booth." She put on her professional face and leaned forward.

"So that would be a yes?" He nodded reluctantly. "Dr. Sweets, surely you can understand how that sounds.

"Of course, it sounds like they're all out to get me. Or rather, they were until Dr. Brennan called them off. All except for Angela and I think she would really hurt me if she had the chance." He insisted stubbornly. She rubbed a hand over her forehead feeling a headache coming on.

"Dr. Sweets, why would these people be out to get you?" He had thought that he was ready to confess his sins but he just couldn't do it, afraid that she would have no choice but to report him. He couldn't take that chance. He shook his head and she sighed. "Dr. Sweets, I am very concerned with the obsessive fixation that you seem to have developed for Angela, and I would prefer that you stay away from her right now. Will you agree to that?" He nodded, thinking that this had been a very bad idea and stood to go. "Dr. Sweets, I'll see you tomorrow." He nodded and raised a hand in farewell but didn't turn around. Amanda sighed with regret as she watched him go. He was really very good looking, she thought, too bad he was crazy as a bedbug.

Since Sweets didn't have any patients, he headed home to think things through. He should have stayed at the office. Opening the front door he heard rustling coming from the bedroom and grabbed his phone to call the police and report a break in when Daisy walked out of the bedroom. He put down the phone and went toward her for a hug, feeling much better.

Fifteen minutes later, he felt like crap as she slammed out of his apartment after breaking up with him. She had told him that he was too moody and that over the last few weeks, he had just gotten weird and she was tired of hearing him whine about all his bad luck lately. Her mind was made up and nothing he had said changed her mind. They were through. He flopped down on the couch and wondered why God was punishing him, but he had some idea. He realized that he had been sitting on the couch for a couple of hours lost in thought. He stood up determinedly and took the DVD out of his pocket, walking over and putting it in the DVD player. He walked back to the couch and sat down. Picking up the remote, he pushed play.

The first images on the screen were an empty Limbo. A few minutes later, a clearly agitated Brennan entered the room. Sweets checked the time and date stamp on the video and knew that this was the night that Booth had been shot. He was shocked at Dr. Brennan's appearance. He had never seen her less that impeccably put together but tonight she looked as if she had just thrown on whatever came to hand. He watched as she took a bin of bones to a table and started to lay them out.

He watched in horror, covering his mouth with his hand to keep from crying out, as she sunk to the floor and her heart broken sobs could be heard echoing throughout the lab. _Oh, God, what had he done_. He saw her pull herself up and stumble out of the room, thankful that it was over. He started to turn off the video when he saw her practically run back into the room and look around frantically. Going to a corner of the room, she slid down the wall into a sitting position and drew her knees up to her chest, still sobbing brokenly. He saw her rest a framed photograph against her up drawn knees and tenderly trace her finger over something in the photo and Sweets knew that it was a photo of Booth.

He saw Angela and the others find her the next morning and try to persuade her to leave Limbo, but the woman he saw on this screen was not the calm, rational, logical Dr. Temperence Brennan who could compartmentalize her emotions no matter what. This was a woman deeply grieving at the loss of someone that she loved very much. Someone who couldn't be reasoned with so they stayed with her, to watch over and protect her, her own little band of merry men. Sweets wiped the tears from his face and desperately wanted to turn the video off, but forced himself to watch every minute of it.

Of course, he fast forwarded through much of it as he had 5 days of footage and not that much time, but he made himself slow the tape and watch every second of Brennan crying, screaming with the nightmares and her family standing guard to protect her. In that moment he fully understood and agreed that he deserved any punishment that Dr. Brennan and Agent Booth meted out. He wasn't sure how he felt about the rest of her team declaring him fair game and going for revenge, but he could understand why they felt like it was their right. He had cold bloodedly delivered an emotionally crippling blow to someone who was already emotionally challenged, someone whom they all loved, someone whom they considered family for his own personal gain, an experiment to gather more data for his book. He had never been more ashamed of himself in his life.

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Dr. Amanda Pearson entered the Medico-Legal lab of the Jeffersonian and paused for a moment to look around in awe at all the shiny toys. Even though she and Brennan had become friendly over the last couple of years and periodically met for drinks she had never been to the lab. She turned in a full circle to get the entire picture and it was impressive. She hated that she was here for anything other than a friendly visit, but stiffened her back bone and moved forward to do her job. She didn't see a single person on the platform or observation deck so she moved toward the offices that she could see on the other side of the platform. She took about five steps and halted as her eyes narrowed. _Had that plant just moved? It must be her eyes,_ she thought. _She would make an appointment to get an eye exam._ Three steps later the plants rustled again. _Ok, she knew that wasn't her eyes._

She squinted in disbelief as a face quickly peeked through the lush foliage, looked toward one of the offices and withdrew back behind the plants. _Oh my God, she had been giving him a break as a professional courtesy but this was the last straw_. She quietly approached the cluster of plants from behind, took a good look at whatever Dr. Sweets had been observing and was appalled. Apparently, he had completely disregarded her words from their morning session. She didn't know if he was stalking Ms. Montenegro this afternoon or simply spying on her, but it really didn't matter. Either one was completely unacceptable. She stepped in front of the plant cluster and parted the leafy fronds with both hands, revealing a red-faced, surprised Lance Sweets. Amanda gave him a raised brow and a disappointed shake of her head. Sweets gulped hard and stepped out of his hiding place when Amanda gave a pointed jerk of her head. His head dropped and he wouldn't meet her eyes.

"Dr. Sweets, we talked about your obsession with Ms. Montenegro this morning and I thought that we were in agreement that it would be best for you to stay away from her." Sweets buried his hands in his pockets, shoulders slumped dejectedly and kicked at something on the floor, looking like a 5 year old being scolded by his mother. After a few seconds, his head shot up and he looked toward Angela's office. Amanda followed the direction of his gaze and saw Angela and another young lady exit her office and the other young lady head out of the lab. Sweets took her arm and tried to drag her behind the plants but she twisted free and looked at him incredulously.

"Dr. Sweets, what the hell has gotten into you?" she demanded and couldn't believe it when he actually had the gall to shush her and took her arm, again trying to drag her into his hidey hole.

"I can explain," he whispered. She shook his hand off of her arm and gave him a warning look when he reached for it again. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him, her look telling him that it had better be good.

Before he could respond, someone cleared their throat behind Amanda's back and both spun around to see an amused Angela standing there. Sweets felt all kinds of guilty and horrible for what he had put Dr. Brennan and even Agent Booth through. _He had no excuse. He had known better but had chosen not to protect the welfare of his patients. That was unacceptable._ He had stopped by the Jeffersonian to speak with Dr. Brennan and return the video to Angela but no one seemed to be around.

He had started back out of the lab when he heard familiar giggles coming out of Angela's office. Glancing around quickly, he saw the plants and hid behind them so he wouldn't be seen while he tried to figure out what was going on. He had an excellent view into Angela's office and could see Angela and Daisy laughing like they were BFF's from way back. After his recent dealings with Angela, it wasn't really surprising that he immediately assumed that she was responsible for his and Daisy's breakup. He started to just leave the lab when Angela and Daisy moved toward the door to her office and stood there chatting. He was stuck. If he moved now, he would attract their attention and they would think that he had been spying on them. _He would just have to wait them out, _he decided seconds before the plants parted to reveal an irritated Dr. Pearson.

"Oh, hi, Amanda. I didn't realize it was you yelling at Sweets." Amanda flushed and Angela turned to Sweets with a chidingly, friendly smile. "Sweets, what did you do?" Sweets gave her a scathing look.

"You made Daisy break up with me," he accused. Angela looked shocked and hurt. Amanda looked concerned at his attitude.

"Sweetie, I would never do that, she didn't even tell me that you guys had broken up." Amanda noted that Sweets assumed a defensive posture and glared at Angela.

"I don't believe you." Sweets insisted. "And you can give the innocent look a rest. I know what you're capable of." He touched his chest, right over the tattoo. Tears came to Angela's eyes and she looked at Amanda helplessly then turned back to Sweets.

"How can you say such awful things to me, Lance? I thought we were friends." Sweets snorted and Amanda looked appalled at his callous behavior. She didn't know Angela that well, but she could see that the artist was deeply hurt by his attitude. But Sweets wasn't buying the innocent routine.

"Yeah, Angela, we're such good friends that you make me get a tattoo I don't want, get my girlfriend to break up with me and, oh yeah, wish me to hell." Angela paled and turned to Amanda as two tears slid down her cheeks, looking stunned and devastated by the unprovoked attack.

"Is that what he's been telling you?" she whispered to Amanda who nodded her head. Angela turned back to Sweets, "Why?" she whispered, her voice full of hurt feelings. Making sure that Amanda couldn't see her face, she winked at Sweets and his face flushed with anger.

"Maybe because it's the truth. Why would you make Daisy break up with me, Angela? That crosses the line." Amanda still couldn't see Angela's face and she missed the raised brow and the hard glint in her eyes that asked him if he really wanted to go there in front of his therapist. His look told her he didn't.

"Sweetie, I had nothing to do with Daisy breaking up with you." Her voice was still soft and hurt and Sweets saw red. He moved into Angela's personal space with narrowed eyes and clenched fists. Amanda quickly stepped between them; facing Sweets and pushing him back firmly with both hands on his chest.

"That's enough, Dr. Sweets. You need to leave this room right now." She pointed to the door of the lab but Sweets' eyes were on Angela. Now that she was fully behind Amanda, a Cheshire cat grin spread across her face. She winked at him again and blew him a kiss and he tried to get past Amanda. He had no idea what he was going to do if he did get to her. Of course, he would never hit her but it might be at least a little satisfying to yell in her face. _Man, was he pathetic if that was the best he could come up with, _he thought to himself until Angela blew him another kiss then stuck her tongue out at him tauntingly.

"Look at her," he demanded of Amanda angrily. Amanda's head turned quickly but Angela was faster. Amanda saw someone who looked like they had just lost their best friend, sniffling into a handkerchief and looking at Sweets as if he frightened her more than a little. Amanda's heart went out to her and she turned back to Sweets. She was angry now.

"Dr. Sweets, is it really necessary to taunt her?" Amanda demanded. Angela had resumed her face making as soon as Amanda's back was turned and had added to her repertoire. She put on her serious face, raised a brow and shook a finger at him as if she were the one lecturing him, then leaned forward and pointed two fingers at her eyes then at him to indicate that she was watching him. When she patted her own chest over her heart and mouthed, You're welcome, he went for her again. Amanda pushed against his chest and yelled in his face.

"Sweets, if you don't leave this lab right now, I will call security and have you arrested. Go. Now." She pushed him backward toward the door. His eyes were still on Angela and she gave him a flirty, little bye, bye now wave and quickly put on her sad, _what could I have done to make my friend turn on me_ face. Sweets was almost to the door when Amanda called after him. "I will see you in my office in 30 minutes, Dr. Sweets." He raised his hand to acknowledge her words but didn't turn back. Amanda turned to Angela and put a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"I'm so sorry you had to see that outburst, Angela. I had thought that we had come to the agreement that he was to stay away from you, but I was obviously wrong." Angela dabbed at her eyes_. Interesting that Amanda had told Sweets to stay away from her. Maybe there was something here that she could work with and she wouldn't even be breaking the rules. After all, Sweets had come to her, not the other way around_. Amanda patted her on the shoulder. "In fact, I was just on my way to see you about this exact situation." Angela raised a face filled with confusion.

"I don't understand," she whispered, her voice thick with tears that she was valiantly holding back thought Amanda.

"Angela, has Dr. Sweets been hanging around more than usual lately?" Angela blinked at her and tilted her head consideringly before answering.

"Well, yeah, he has been here every time I turned around lately. But, I thought he was just being friendly." She shared with a sad shake of her head. Amanda gave her shoulders a firm squeeze before releasing them.

"Angela, I'm afraid that Dr. Sweets had developed an obsessive fixation on you and I was coming to warn you that he might be potentially dangerous to you if you do anything to challenge that." Angela's eyes widened in fear.

"What did I do to make him turn against me?" Her voice quivered and Amanda rushed to reassure her.

"You didn't do anything, Angela. It's not your fault that Dr Sweets has a mental illness that he apparently doesn't want to treat."

"Is he dangerous?" Amanda sighed and ran a hand through her short blond hair.

"If you had asked me that two hours ago, I would have said maybe. After seeing that little display, I would have to say that he is definitely dangerous to you." Angela buried her face in her hands to stifle her giggles and her shoulders shook. Amanda patted the distraught, sobbing woman on the back.

"I don't want you to worry about it, Angela. Dr. Sweets won't be bothering you for at least the next three days, maybe longer." Angela quickly schooled her features to reflect sadness and fear and raised her head to meet Amanda's eyes.

"What do you mean?" Amanda didn't normally share her plans for her patients with anyone but the patient themselves, but this woman deserved a little peace of mind after Sweets' little display.

"I have no choice but to refer Dr. Sweets for an inpatient evaluation. If he goes in voluntarily, the stay could be as short as three days. If I have to civilly commit him, he could be there at least a month." Angela again hid her face in her hands as her shoulders shook. Amanda could give Sweets' a good smack for upsetting the artist so much. She wanted to offer her comforting words but she needed to get back to her office and deal with Sweets. "Angela, is there anything I can do for you? I really need to go and deal with this situation." Keeping her face covered with one hand, Angela used the other to gesture for Amanda to go. Amanda took her at her word and started for the exit, pulling out her cell phone. Angela called after her to ask which facility Sweets would be going to and Amanda answered with the facility name, which just happened to be where Zach was housed. _Oh, yeah, she could definitely work with this._ Amanda dialed her phone and immediately rushed into speech. Angela strained to hear and almost fell off of her stool when she did.

"Director Cullen, It's Dr. Pearson."

"Yes, sir, there is a problem."

"Yes, sir, the problem is with Dr. Sweets. I'm afraid that I'm going to have to recommend he be hospitalized immediately."

"Yes, sir, I wouldn't recommend it if I didn't think it was necessary."

"No, sir, I don't expect him to be particularly receptive to the idea which is why I'm calling you. He should be in my office in," she checked her watch, "in twenty minutes and I expect to need armed guards to get him to the hospital."

"Ok, sir, I'll see you in my office in twenty minutes. Thank you, sir and goodbye." Angela looked after Amanda wide eyed. _Wow, Sweets going to the loony bin, as Zach called it, that was just so…. freaking great._ She jumped up from her stool and skipped to her office. She needed to visit Zach this afternoon and let him know that a friend of his was being admitted so that Zach could watch out for Sweets and teach him the ropes or not. She grabbed her phone to call Hodgins to share with him, and then remembered that he, Booth, Bren and Cam had all been called out to a crime scene. After further thought, she decided that she wasn't going to share this with the others quite yet. She had a feeling that they wouldn't be as pleased about his predicament as she was. But she knew for a fact that her father would be pleased with her actions to avenge her friend because he definitely didn't believe in turning the other cheek and had instilled that into his daughter. She left a note on Cam's desk that she was taking the rest of the afternoon off, grabbed her purse and happily headed out to see Zach, her brain formulating all kinds of fun games to play with Sweets while he was locked up.


	42. Chapter 42

**Thanks for the reviews and just taking the time to read. The angst will be ending soon, I promise.**

**Disclaimer: Still not mine.**

Dr. Lance Sweets sat in Dr. Amanda Pearson's office and stared at her, aghast at her suggestion. Then he realized that it wasn't a suggestion, it was a statement of intent and panic set in. _Holy Crap, how had his life come to this?_ She was giving him the choice of being hospitalized voluntarily or being civilly committed and he chose neither. He didn't need to be hospitalized because he wasn't crazy.

He had to admit that he could see how Amanda would think differently and frantically searched his brain for a way out of this. He could see only two choices and neither were ideal in his opinion. He could spill his guts about why everyone was out to get him and take his chances that Amanda either wouldn't report him to the ethics review board or that they wouldn't pull his license. Or he could keep his mouth shut and let her commit him because no way was he going in voluntarily and that would basically ruin his career just as surely as having his license pulled.

Then, without warning, scenes from that video of Dr. Brennan in Limbo flashed through his mind and his conscience told him that it was time to suck it up and admit that he had deliberately caused severe emotional harm to another person, a patient, for Christ's sakes. Someone that he should help without any thought of personal gain, someone who trusted him to put their welfare above any other consideration and he had just ignored all of that because he was so fascinated by Dr. Brennan's unique coping skills. It was cruel, unprofessional and unethical and he deserved to be called before the ethics committee, he deserved to lose his license, but he hoped it wouldn't come to that. He realized that Amanda had been staring at him for several minutes awaiting his answer and his head lifted.

"I know why Dr. Brennan and the others would feel justified in seeking revenge against me." he said quietly. Amanda's brow rose and she made a continue gesture.

"Quite some time ago, Agent Booth was shot by someone who was aiming for Dr. Brennan." Amanda nodded. She remembered the incident. "The FBI decided to pretend that Agent Booth had died from the injury to draw out a very bad man who they had been after for years." His eyes fell and he was unconsciously wringing his hands together as he slouched against the back of the couch. "I was given Agent Booth's list of people to notify that he wasn't dead to vet." He raised his head and met her eyes directly. "And I made a bad call." Amanda gazed at him and waited for him to continue. When he didn't, she prompted him.

"I don't understand, Dr. Sweets."

"I took Dr. Brennan off the list and she thought that Agent Booth was dead." The words gushed out and Amanda could certainly see where that would be viewed as a bad call by Brennan, Booth and their friends. Those two had been extremely close for years and she imagined that Brennan had been quite distressed over the incident. Although Brennan didn't often openly show her feelings, she felt just like everyone else and Amanda acknowledged that seeking revenge was a distinct possibility under those circumstances. She knew that she would have kicked Sweets' butt no matter his reason. And from the way he was acting, she was getting a feeling of foreboding about his reasons for choosing to exclude Brennan from Booth's list.

"Did you have legitimate reasons for excluding Dr. Brennan from the list, Dr. Sweets?" His head dropped and he stared at his hands, resting in his lap.

"I told myself I did at the time." She so didn't want to hear this late on a Friday afternoon when she was hoping to get out of here on time, but it was her job.

"And now?"

"Now, I can admit that I did it to study just how far Dr. Brennan's ability to compartmentalize went. To see how she reacted to her partner's death." Amanda sat back with a sigh, ruminating on what Sweets had just said. She needed one more piece of the puzzle.

"Does Dr. Brennan or Agent Booth know why you did it?" She would be willing to bet they did.

"They all know. That's why they were out to get me." His voice was morose and his chin was resting on his chest. _Well, hell, _thought Amanda_, he was lucky that they hadn't just killed him and disposed of his body where no one would ever find it. Those were some very smart people that he should have known better than to piss off and it was extremely unethical and unprofessional for him to do something like that in the first place. _ But Amanda no longer believed he was crazy and needed to be hospitalized. Unfortunately, she had already called in the reinforcements and Cullen rapped on her door and came in just then.

"Dr. Pearson, Dr. Sweets," Cullen greeted them, giving Amanda an _I'm here, so let's get on with it_ look. Amanda cleared her throat and tried to think of the best way out of this. Sweets didn't even look up.

"Sir, could I speak with you alone?" Cullen looked a little irritated but nodded and she led him to the viewing room attached to her office. After shutting the door, she turned to Cullen nervously. "Sir, Dr. Sweets had just made a breakthrough in his therapy and I no longer feel that he needs to be hospitalized." Cullen looked at her incredulously and rubbed a hand over his head, the other hand firmly on his hip.

"How the hell did he go from needing the loony bin to all better in," he checked his watch, "eighteen minutes?" Amanda was embarrassed that she had jumped the gun, so to speak with Cullen and rushed in to reassure him.

"I told you, sir, he made a breakthrough. I can't give you the specifics because of confidentiality issues but I don't think he needs hospitalization." Cullen gave her a narrow eyed stare that made goosebumps erupt over her entire body.

"So, you can tell me with 100% certainty that Sweets is not a danger to himself or anyone else, even Ms. Montenegro who less than thirty minutes ago you seemed to feel was in imminent danger from him?" Amanda shook her head.

"Sir, no one can guarantee anyone's actions with 100% certainty, not even their own, but I am reasonably certain that he doesn't pose a threat to Ms. Montenegro. The only way to be 100% certain is to monitor him 24/7 and I need to gather more data before damaging his career by committing him." Cullen's eyes narrowed as he paced the small room, coming to a sudden stop and turning to face Amanda. She really, really didn't like the smile on his face.

"I think that is an excellent idea, Dr. Pearson." _Idea, what idea?_ She was almost afraid to ask.

"What idea, sir?" Cullen laughed jovially and clapped her on the shoulder causing her to stumble forward.

"Your idea to take Sweets home with you for the weekend, Dr. Pearson." _Wait. What? She was 100% certain that she hadn't proposed any such thing_.

"Sir, that would be highly improper." Even she could hear the panic in her voice. Cullen dropped the jovial face and gave her a serious look.

"Dr. Pearson, with you changing your mind so quickly, I'm not sure I can trust your judgment, so Dr. Sweets _will _be under 24/7 observation. Now, he can either stay with you and you can gather your data or he can be hospitalized. The choice is yours." Cullen's voice was coated with steel and Amanda knew that he wouldn't be changing his mind. She looked into her office at the dejected young man who hadn't moved since their departure and felt a strange reluctance to commit him and place a blight on his reputation until she fully investigated the situation. Still, she was surprised at the words coming out of her mouth.

"Fine, he can stay with me." Cullen was grinning from ear to ear. He was irritated that he had been pulled out of an important meeting to come here and it had been a waste of time. He, personally, didn't think that Sweets had it in him to hurt a fly, but he wasn't a shrink and he wasn't willing to take any chances. He had been impressed with the work that Dr. Pearson was doing for them but found himself disappointed in her wishy, washy attitude toward Sweets. Maybe spending the weekend babysitting the other psychologist would give her a chance to gather her data and give him a full evaluation so that he could decide what the hell to do with Sweets. Besides, it was giving him a hell of a good laugh to imagine how much Sweets would get on her nerves in more than 48 consecutive hours of his company. Cullen patted her shoulder again and gave her what he saw as words of encouragement.

"That's fine then." She turned to leave the room, wondering how this had happened and stiffened at him words of warning. "Pearson, he is entirely your responsibility. I will hold you responsible for _anything _that happens this weekend. Are we clear?" _Oh, goody, she got to spend her weekend babysitting a probably not dangerous but definitely neurotic patient. How did she get so lucky?_ With a huge sigh, she nodded and continued back into her office to give Sweets the good news.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"No! I don't need a babysitter!" Sweets crossed his arms over his chest and glared obstinately at Amanda, his bottom lip protruding in a pout worthy of a three year old. She was fast losing patience with him and thought about just killing him herself, she was sure that when she explained how damned annoying he was that any jury would rule it justifiable homicide.

"For the fifth time, Sweets," she had dropped the doctor in front of his name and her professional tone the third time she had tried to explain in a reasonable and rational manner that he had to stay with her for the weekend, "you don't have a choice. It's a direct order from Director Cullen." By the time she finished, she was gritting out the words through clenched teeth. His eyes narrowed even further and he shook his head. His next words made Amanda see red.

"Dr Pearson, if you want to go out with me you should just ask. You don't have to come up with some elaborate scheme to get me alone for a weekend." Sweets immediately saw that his attempt at humor fell far short of the mark when her eyes narrowed, shooting daggers at him, and her fists clenched. He could practically see the steam coming out of her ears. _Man, she was pretty when she was pissed, _he thought.

"Fine," she hissed, leaving her seat and heading for the door. Sweets watched her militant march with wide eyes, starting to feel some trepidation.

"Where are you going?" She didn't glance his way and snarled her answer, her voice ripe with satisfaction.

"To get the guards to escort you to the hospital_." What? She had been serious about that? Uh oh, he'd better do some damage control immediately if he didn't want to spend the weekend with Zach._

"What? No!" he jumped from the sofa and grabbed her arm, swinging her around to face him. "I thought you were kidding about that." She looked at him incredulously.

"Do I _look_ like I'm kidding, you moron?" She yelled directly into his face, poking him in the chest. She'd had enough from the jerk in front of her. She was trying to do him a favor and he didn't even have the sense to recognize it. _Maybe she should just send him to the hospital and see how he liked that, _she thought with an evil smile hovering around her lips, _but right now she was going to yell at him some more because it felt damn good to release her frustration._ "For your information, _Dr_. Sweets," she sneered when she said his name as if he weren't worthy of the title and poked him in the chest again, "spending my weekend babysitting you is not my idea of a good time. But if you'd rather spend the weekend locked up in the loony bin, that's fine with me!" They were standing toe to toe and she was yelling in his face, her blue eyes flashing and her face flushed with anger. Sweets couldn't take his eyes off of her and had to concentrate hard to process what she had just said. Swallowing hard, he tried to diffuse the situation.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Pearson. I honestly did think you were kidding about the hospital or you being my choices and, of course, I would prefer to spend the weekend with you rather than locked up in the loony bin as you so charmingly put it. Please accept my apologies." He gave her what he hoped was a charming smile. She regarded him suspiciously with narrowed eyes and finally nodded but it was clear that she wasn't even close to pacified. She stalked to the door, jerked it open and told the guards that they were free to go. She tried to make her voice and expression pleasant, but that was hard to do when you couldn't unclench your jaw. They nodded and gave her a wide berth as they hastily left her reception area. She turned back into the office and stalked to her desk, gathering her things, grabbed her laptop and turned toward the door. Sweets stood out of her way eyeing her warily. She stopped in front of him and looked him in the eye.

"Just so we're clear here, Sweets, if you even breathe wrong this weekend, your $$ will be headed for the loony bin before you can say I'm not crazy and they can put up with your snarky attitude." She spun around and marched out the door of her office as Sweets stared at her departing back in shock. "Move it, Sweets, and don't make me tell you again." Her words and tone told him she was serious and he hurried to catch up with her completely unaware of the satisfied smile on her lips. _This weekend might actually be fun_, she thought. She and Sweets wouldn't be in session and she could say whatever she wanted instead of the sometimes boring platitudes that her profession dictated. She would be careful not to damage his neurotic psyche but it was time that Sweets heard a few hard truths and she was just the woman to give them to him.

Their first order of business was to stop by her apartment and let her pick up some things for the weekend. Their "discussion" about where they would spend the weekend started as soon as they were in Amanda's car (Sweets' car was still lost in impound). Amanda had never even considered that they would stay at his place but he whined so long and loud that she finally gave in just to shut him up, with the stipulation that she reserved the right to change her mind at any time. He agreed with those conditions and they were set.

They walked into his apartment and Amanda was actually impressed. The apartment was small with the living room separated from the kitchen/dining room by a bar. It was decorated in masculine earth tones but was clean and neat as a pin. As with most males his age living alone, he had a large assortment of expensive electronic equipment. A 54 inch plasma screen TV dominated the room with all the usual accruements; DVD player with a waist high stack of DVD's, Sony Playstation 3 with a stack of games almost as high as the stack of DVD's, an expensive stereo system set up in the corner and, she noticed glancing at the ceiling, speakers had been mounted in all four corners of the room to give that true surround sound experience. Sweets looked a little uncomfortable to have her in his home and she grinned at that until she realized that she would probably have felt the same way with him invading her personal sanctuary for the next 48 hours, suddenly glad that he had won the argument of where they would stay.

Sweets gallantly offered her his bedroom for the night as he didn't have a guest room. Glancing at the couch and judging it to probably uncomfortable, she sweetly accepted the offer, soothing her conscious by telling it they would swap up the next night. The next hour was very uncomfortable for both of them as they sat almost silently in the living room, avoiding each other's eyes. Finally, Amanda decided that this was ridiculous, they were both psychologists for Heaven's sakes, trained to talk to people, surely they could carry on a simple conversation with each other. She glanced around the room, searching for a topic of conversation and her eyes fell on the stack of video games. She got up and wandered over squatting down to take a closer look, almost laughing out loud when she saw that his stack of games was almost a mirror image of the ones she had at home. She turned to him with a smile on her face, holding up Star Wars: The Clone Wars Republic Heroes.

"I challenge you to a game, Sweets." He looked surprised for just a second then a huge grin split his face. He left the couch and approached her position, squatting down beside her.

"I wouldn't advise that, Dr. Pearson. I'd hate to have you holding a grudge against me because I kicked your butt on a video game." She scoffed and her grin widened.

"Believe me, Sweets; I won't be holding a grudge because you will be the one getting your butt kicked." Sweets grabbed the game out of her hands and marched to the game console.

"You're on, Amanda." They both froze at his use of her first name. He looked like he was about to apologize when she decided it would make this weekend a lot more comfortable for both of them if they used each other's first names and dispensed with the titles.

"It's ok, Sweets. You can call me Amanda, at least for the weekend and I'll call you Lance if that's ok with you." He nodded and inserted the game, coming back to where she had scooted back in the floor several feet in front of the TV and handing her a controller. He sat down beside her and grabbed his own controller, looking over at her with an easy, friendly smile which she returned. Turning back to the TV, his eyes narrowed and he issued an irresistible challenge.

"Game on." Amanda had never been able to resist a challenge as her three older brothers had known and constantly used against her when they were growing up. She still had impulse control issues and took every challenge that came her way.

"Oh, yeah, game on. I am going to kick your butt so badly that you'll be curled up in the corner crying like a little girl." She taunted. He bumped her shoulder with his and hit play. They taunted and trash talked each other for the next several hours only pausing to order pizza and refresh their drinks. They were closely matched in their skills, but Amanda came out the overall victor in their numerous games. She rubbed his nose in it like an obnoxious 10 year old and he grinned. He was having a great time, he found the games relaxing and challenging at the same time and Daisy had always refused to play his video games with him, calling them juvenile and barbaric. He admitted that she was right to a certain degree, but he enjoyed them and he always did what she wanted to, she could have at least tried them once for him.

He looked at Amanda out of the corner of his eye and thought she was one of the prettiest women he had ever seen with her shoulder length blond hair, mesmerizing blue eyes and very kissable mouth. He didn't miss how her shirt gaped when she bent a certain way and displayed a tantalizing amount of cleavage, or that she filled out her slacks nicely when he watched her walking to the bathroom. _Whoa, boy_, he thought, she's your therapist, _so stop thinking about her like that._ His mind kept right on thinking inappropriate thoughts and when he found himself wondering about the color of her underwear, he desperately looked around for something else to focus on. He gratefully grabbed another game, barely glancing at the title and waved it under her nose.

"I challenge you to another game and prepare to meet your maker because I am so going to kill you in this one." She snorted and rolled her eyes.

"You know, Lancie," she batted her eyes at him when he started at the nickname, "you really shouldn't extend challenges you can't win," she purred and leaned toward him, "because you're going to feel really, really bad," she leaned closer and he gulped, his eyes widening, "when a girl kicks your butt twice in a row." She was almost touching him now and he wasn't even paying attention to her words, until her hand darted behind his back and grabbed the last piece of cold pizza that they had been arguing about and he had snatched, holding it aloft victoriously. His eyes narrowed when he comprehended what she had done.

"That's cheating, you know." He was surprised and proud that his voice came out steady. She shrugged and munched on her stolen prize.

"Come on, Lancie, all's fair in love, war and who gets the last slice of pizza." He couldn't resist the impish grin she threw his way and smiled back. They moved on to Kill Zone 2 and Sweets came out victorious, but just barely, playing, talking and laughing like old friends until Amanda noticed that it was after 3 AM and suddenly they were both exhausted from an unusual day. But, as exhausted as they both were, they were strangely reluctant to say goodnight. Amanda finally stood and with a soft goodnight headed to his bedroom. Sweets called after her just as she reached the bedroom door and she turned back to him.

"Thank you for not sending me to the loony bin," he said softly.

"You're welcome," she murmured back just as softly.

"Goodnight," they both said in unison and went to their separate beds, each thinking about the other.

Barely four hours later, a pounding on his front door jarred him from sleep and he groggily rolled off the couch and staggered to the door, not even bothering to check the peephole before jerking the door open, ready to blast his early morning visitor. His mouth opened but nothing came out as a smiling Daisy walked into the apartment and closed the door behind her. A sound from his bedroom caught both of their attentions and Sweets turned to face his bedroom purposely blocking Daisy's view and praying that Amanda had slept through the hammering on the door_. No such luck_. He groaned as a tousled, sexy Amanda who was obviously coming straight from his bed strolled into the room and approached him. _This was so not good_. Amanda looked around and didn't see a visitor and turned questioning eyes on Sweets.

"I thought I heard someone at the door, Lancie. What's going on?" The name she had used to taunt him while they were playing video games last night unconsciously slipped out. Sweets just stared at her taking in how gorgeous she was fresh out of his bed.

"That's exactly what I'd like to know, _Lancie,"_ said a very angry Daisy Wicks, stepping out from behind Lance to glare at Amanda.


	43. Chapter 43

**The Sweets saga is coming to an end and we are returning to B&B. Please review so I know how I'm doing.**

**Disclaimer: They're not mine but in the next chapter they'll wish they were.**

Amanda and Sweets looked at each other, wide eyed and silent. Daisy crossed her arms and angrily tapped her foot against the floor. "Well, Lance, I'm waiting." Amanda suddenly understood several things, the first being why Sweets had accused Angela of being responsible for his girlfriend breaking up with him. This was the same young woman who had been with Angela yesterday at the Jeffersonian. She also saw that Daisy was a rather controlling young woman who, apparently, enjoyed jerking Sweets around and that made Amanda angry for reasons she didn't want to examine too closely. Her eyes narrowed and she leaned closer to Sweets.

"Lancie, isn't this your ex?" she whispered loudly, telling Daisy without words that she had no right to demand explanations about anything from Sweets. Sweets nodded and seemed to find his voice; giving Amanda a grateful smile he turned to face Daisy.

"Daisy, why are you here?" She moved closer and placed both hands on his chest, shooting him a flirtatious smile.

"I came to see you, of course, Lancelot." He grabbed her hands and removed them from his chest, immediately dropping them and moving back a couple of steps.

"I don't understand, Daisy. You broke up with me yesterday." He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at her. Amanda unconsciously moved closer and placed a reassuring hand on his back. He turned his head and gave her a soft smile. Daisy's eyes narrowed at the easy intimacy between the two. She gave a little laugh and concentrated her attention on Sweets, ignoring Amanda completely.

"Oh, Lancelot, I didn't mean what I said yesterday. I was just having a bad day. Now if you'll just tell the little home wrecker to leave, we can make up." She threw him her best sexy smile. He didn't even think about it.

"No, she stays. It certainly sounded like you meant what you said when you broke up with me yesterday, Daisy. Why should I let you just walk back into my life and forgive you for hurting me?" Daisy shot him a sly look from under her lashes and played her ace in the hole.

"Because you love me, Lance," she said softly, moving closer and, once again, running her hands up and down his chest. Behind Sweets back, Amanda's eyes narrowed dangerously. She was really beginning to dislike this woman who was trying to manipulate Sweets into taking her back. Without her notice, both of Amanda's hands went to either side of Sweets' waist and squeezed. He, once again, removed Daisy's hands from his person and both of his hands went to cover Amanda's, returning her squeeze. Daisy saw this move and was absolutely infuriated. Before she could release her fury on the home wrecking, blonde, bimbo, Barbie spoke up.

"This really isn't any of my business. So, I'll just go…" she pointed to Sweets' bedroom and he gave her a grateful look and soft smile. The thought of another woman being in what she considered her boyfriend's bedroom sent Daisy over the edge. She turned her fury on Amanda.

"Get your hands off of my boyfriend, you little tramp," she yelled. Amanda paled at the attack but Sweets stepped in before she could respond.

"But, I'm not your boyfriend any more, Daisy. And by your own choosing, I might add." Amanda turned toward the bedroom. She didn't need to see this and it wasn't any of her business. Daisy grabbed her arm and spun her around, getting into her personal space.

"How long have you been sleeping with my boyfriend?" she demanded.

"Take your hands off of me. Now!" Amanda gritted through clenched teeth and Daisy immediately released her, stepping back a couple of steps. Keeping eye contact with Daisy, she told her the truth, "I'm not sleeping with your boyfriend. I'm his therapist and we have to spend the weekend together. Now, I'm going back in there," she pointed to the bedroom, "and going back to bed. You two can work this out on your own." She calmly walked toward the bedroom, until she heard Daisy turn her fury on Sweets. Daisy thought that Amanda was making fun of her with her story. _Like she would be stupid enough to believe that_.

"Lancelot, how can you just stand there and let your little bimbo lie to me?" Sweets just looked at her steadily. He had never really just stood back and observed Daisy's behavior. Doing so now, he didn't like what he saw at all. She was rude, controlling and whiny. At that second, he had an epiphany. He didn't love Daisy and he never had. He had liked the companionship more than anything but he now clearly saw that he was more than ready for this relationship to end.

"She's not lying to you, Daisy. And she's not a bimbo. She's a psychologist just like me." Daisy ran an agitated hand through her hair and began to pace, tears slowly trickling down her cheeks.

"How could you replace me so quickly, Lance? I thought you loved me." _Dirty trick_, thought Amanda, crossing her arms and standing by. She had the feeling that Lance was going to need assistance to get rid of this determined, whiny, young woman. To Sweets credit, he didn't cave when the tears started and that made Daisy even angrier.

"What about you, Daisy? You said you loved me, but you let Angela talk you into breaking up with me." Daisy spun to face him and her expression clearly said that she had no idea what he was talking about. Sweets eyes narrowed and he realized that he had most likely almost attacked Angela because of something that she had no knowledge of. "Daisy, why were you at the Jeffersonian yesterday?" She looked confused. "When you were talking to Angela?" Her confusion cleared but she was too angry to realize that he was offering her a perfect scapegoat for this whole mess.

"I went to ask Angela to intervene with Dr. Brennan and ask her to give me a second chance at the Jeffersonian. But she said no." Her voice was so forlorn that Amanda felt a little sorry for her. So did Sweets. His face and voice softened.

"I'm sorry, Daisy. I know how much you admire Dr. Brennan and want to work with her." Daisy walked up and slid her arms around Sweets waist, hugging him tightly. He allowed it and hugged her back for several moments, the good parts of their relationship running through his mind. He gently disentangled her arms from around his waist and moved her away from him with his hands on her shoulders, giving her a gentle smile when she looked up at him hopefully.

He didn't want to hurt her but he didn't want her back as his girlfriend either and it had nothing to do with Amanda. It was because he had been with Daisy as a stop gap, until something better came along. Understanding that now, made him ashamed. "You did the right thing breaking up with me, Daisy. We're ok together but we're not great and neither of us should settle for that. We both deserve great." For just a second, he thought she was going to accept this and go quietly, but, alas, Daisy didn't do anything quietly. She planted both hands on his chest and shoved so hard that he was backed up a couple of steps, pointing a finger at Amanda and yelling directly into his face.

"And you think you'll have great with her, Lance?" Before he could respond, she hit him full blast with her fury. "Look at her, Lance." He was looking and he liked what he saw. Sleep tousled, shoulder length, blond hair, sleepy blue eyes and a body that sent his thoughts to a very naught place. He tried to keep his eyes on her face but it was a losing battle and they dropped to the thin, tank top that made it obvious she wasn't wearing a bra by the way her generous breasts strained against the material. The top ended a few inches above the low cut yoga pants that she had teamed them with, showing a strip of flat, toned abdomen. The yoga pants clung lovingly to the womanly curve of her hips and made it obvious that she didn't wear any underwear to bed. Sweets swallowed hard, causing Daisy to glance at him. She might be an angry, vengeful, ex, but she wasn't blind and she did care about him. She might have lost him through her own actions but she was about to give him some much needed advice, she decided, seeing the besotted look on his face. She hit him with the absolute truth as she saw it.

"She's so far out of your league that it's almost funny, Lance. She might use you for some fun time between the sheets, but you'll never have great with her, because she'll use you and move on." Amanda saw with a great deal of shock that Sweets believed what Daisy was saying, that someone like her just wasn't destined to be with someone like him long term and it infuriated for two reasons. It was a low blow on Daisy's part, the other woman knew nothing about her beyond her looks, and Sweets had obviously given some thought to them as a couple and was now embarrassed about it. Amanda found herself unable to stand seeing him humiliated in front of his awful ex and was moving without conscious thought. Daisy moved closer and looked up into Sweets' eyes without touching him. "Sometimes people have to settle for good and I can give that to you, Lance. We can go from good to great if you just give us another chance."

Daisy gasped as Sweets was spun around and Amanda grabbed his head between her hands, pulling it down and planting her lips firmly against his. It started out as a way to rescue Sweets from this awkward situation, but changed as soon as their lips touched. They both felt electricity arc between them. Sweets arms went around her waist, pulling her close and his mouth opened over hers. She moaned and moved closer, passionately returning the kiss that he was now in control of. Neither even heard the door slam as Daisy left them alone.

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Seeley Booth was seriously considering taking out his gun and shooting the next person who knocked on the front door of his and Brennan's apartment. He and Brennan were looking forward to an uninterrupted weekend of each other and didn't plan on getting out of bed if Booth could help it. That plan was shot to hell when the first visitor arrived at 7 freaking 30 in the morning before they were even awake. Booth bit his tongue to hide his irritation when he saw that it was Russ and Max. They weren't specific about why they were in town and Booth figured it was probably better that he didn't know so he didn't ask.

Booth didn't begrudge Brennan any time spent with her family even if she was much more comfortable and closer to her work family than her biological one. It did get a little tense when both men realized that Booth lived (and slept) with Brennan. They both gave Booth several long, meaningful glances and made pointed remarks about it not being good for your health to cause Temperence unhappiness, until Brennan caught them and put a stop to it. She rolled her eyes at their behavior and informed them that Booth made her very happy and she was perfectly capable of running her own life. Max made them all brunch as a peace offering and they finally left at around 1:30 after inviting Booth and Brennan out to dinner that night.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Booth pulled Brennan into his arms and plundered her mouth with his. He had been thinking of their little game playing last weekend and knowing that it was his turn to be dominant had him more than a little revved up. Even sitting across from Max and Russ hadn't been enough to completely cool him off. His hands went to cup her buttocks and pull her pelvis tightly against him, allowing her to feel how much he wanted her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and tangled her tongue with his, running her hands through his hair and rubbing her chest against his. With a low growl, he scooped her up into his arms and strode toward the bedroom, never breaking their lip lock. Halfway down the hall, he was stopped in his tracks by someone knocking on the front door. Thinking quickly, he decided to ignore it and started toward the bedroom again, hoping Brennan didn't hear it because he knew she would never be able to ignore a knock at the door. She tore her lips from his, quashing his hopes and he groaned.

"Booth, put me down. Someone's at the door." He took her lips again and she responded passionately until the knocking started back up. She pulled back again and he whimpered this time.

"Ignore it, Baby. They'll go away, eventually." His lips and teeth were feasting on her exposed throat and neck as she turned her head to avoid his lips because she got completely distracted when he was kissing her. The knocking came again.

"Booth, I don't think they're going to go away." Unfortunately, Booth agreed with her. Their visitor was certainly persistent. With a regretful sigh and one last nip of an earlobe, he let her slide down his body, both groaning at the contact. Brennan reached up and gave him a light kiss and moved around him to answer the door. He needed a minute to make himself presentable and leaned against the wall with his weight supported on an extended arm, silently cursing whoever was at the door. He didn't look up when he heard the door open but he did look up in concern when he heard the identity of the visitor.

"Wendell, what are you doing here? Is something wrong?" There was a wealth of concern in Brennan's voice. She had become extremely fond of this young man and, while it wasn't unusual for them to see him on the weekends, it was unusual for him to just stop by unannounced and from his dejected expression, Brennan deduced that all was not well. Booth came up behind Brennan and placed his hands on either side of her waist absently. He was also very fond of Wendell and his gut told him that something was very wrong with him. Wendell looked up and took in their rather tousled appearance and his face flushed. It was obvious that he had interrupted something but, as far as he could tell, anytime they were alone for more than five minutes, you would be interrupting something between the partners. Still, he was embarrassed and decided to just go.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have just dropped by. I'll just go." Each partner caught an arm and pulled him inside the apartment as he turned to go. He couldn't help grinning at them. They both relaxed when they saw the grin, but tensed back up as his expression turned morose and he stuck his hands in his pockets, looking at the floor. Brennan pulled him into the living room and practically pushed him onto the sofa.

"Wendell, what's wrong?" Wendell was touched at the caring in her voice. He looked up and saw the same expression on her face that she had when she was concerned about Parker and he briefly wondered when Booth and Brennan had become his younger, hipper, second parents. But, that didn't matter right now. He had come to them for some advice and he had to tell them the problem first. He could feel his face heating up already.

"Um, Michelle and I are having some, um, problems." His face was flaming and he was avoiding their eyes. Booth read the clues and got it immediately. Brennan did not.

"What kind of problems. The more specific you are, the more helpful we will probably be able to be." Brennan patted his shoulder in encouragement. His face got even hotter. Now way was he going to get into specifics with Dr. B, he wasn't even sure that he would be able to get specific with Booth. He threw a _Please help me _look at Booth, which was intercepted and acknowledged with a slight nod. Booth took Brennan by the arm and pulled her resisting form toward the kitchen. She vehemently objected.

"Booth, what are you doing? Wendell needs our help, now let me go," she demanded. He pulled her the rest of the way inside the kitchen and Wendell lost his visual, but he could still hear them and he had to admit that they had some of the oddest and funniest conversations that he'd ever heard.

"Bones, Wendell wants to talk to me about his problem…," Brennan cut him off mid sentence, sounding more than a little insulted. Wendell suddenly understood why he had come here. Even if they couldn't give him any helpful advice, he already felt better just sitting back and picturing the scene in the kitchen.

"How do you know that, Booth? He didn't say that. I'm sure that I am just as capable of offering assistance as you are once we determine the issue at hand." She was in quite a huff by the time she finished and turned to go back to Wendell and offer her expertise on whatever subject he required. Booth grabbed her arm and swung her back around.

"Bones, he wants to talk about s-e-x." Booth's tone was hushed as if someone was going to overhear and tattle on him. Brennan immediately broke into laughter. Booth released his grip on her arm as he stiffened in affront. Brennan grabbed her stomach and bent at the waist in her hilarity. Booth stepped back, crossed his arms over his chest and regarded her with narrowed eyes. Finally getting herself under control, Brennan stood upright but leaned against the counter for support, still giggling and looked at Booth.

"And you think that you can talk to Wendell about sex better than I can?" Booth was clearly offended by her laughter, but she considered it a legitimate question. "Booth, you can't even say the word sex, so how do you expect to talk to Wendell about sex?" She knew it wasn't strictly necessary to use the word sex in that sentence so many times but Booth's reaction was just too priceless to pass up.

"Would you stop saying that word?" he hissed, blushing profusely.

"What word? Sex? Sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, se…" Wendell was pretty sure that Booth had just clamped his hand over Brennan's mouth but he could still hear her litany of sex, sex, sex, even muffled behind Booth's hand. Wendell was laughing so hard that he was almost crying at their antics and he felt much better.

Booth trapped his giggling partner between the counter and his body, his hand still clamped over her mouth and leaned his forehead against hers. He had to smile. He loved seeing this playful, impish side of her, even when it was at his own expense. "Stop it, Bones." He ordered looking into her laughing blue eyes. She shook her head. "I'm not going to let you go until you behave yourself. Now I can stand here all day like this." He pushed his hips into hers and her eyes widened. "How about you?" He actually saw the debate in her eyes but she finally gave him a look that said she yielded, right before her tongue darted out to draw patterns over the palm of his hand as punishment for him winning. His eyes told her that she would pay for that later and hers told him to prove it. He removed his hand from her mouth and gave her a reproving look.

"Baby, when sons have sex questions, it's the dad's responsibility to answer them. When our daughters have sex questions, you can definitely take those." He shuddered at the thought of having a sex talk with his own daughter. Brennan's heart melted at not just Booth's words but the picture they conjured, of them together forever with children of their own. Wendell felt a twinge in his own chest, he knew that Booth and Brennan were fond of him but not that they thought of him as one of their own.

"Ok," Brennan said softly, turning him toward the living room, "go answer his questions," she couldn't resist a pat on the butt. She figured Wendell could always talk to her later if Booth didn't answer all of his questions; it was what Parker always did.

Wendell and Booth were ensconced in the living room talking very quietly for a couple of hours. Brennan pulled out her laptop and worked on her new book until she heard the TV come on, then went out to join the men. Both of their faces were flushed but she thought the crisis had passed and would get the details out of Booth later. Wendell stayed and watched a college football game with Booth while Brennan went back to her book, then announced that she was going to take a bubble bath before they went out to dinner with her father and brother. Booth glanced longingly toward the bathroom where he could picture her lazing in perfumed water, bubbles and nothing else, but Wendell had needed to vent more than he needed advice and he wasn't finished yet, so Booth would listen until he was. He and Brennan would be alone later. Or so he thought.

Brennan came out dressed for dinner in a sleeveless, black dress that hugged her curves and ended several inches above her knees. Her hair was up and some kind of black dangly earrings completed the outfit. She told Booth that he needed to get ready and kept Wendell company while he did so. They urged Wendell to join them, but Wendell wasn't that comfortable around Max and Russ so he declined. Dinner was surprisingly congenial with Max and Russ making a special effort to get along with Booth. Booth actually found both men pleasant when they weren't threatening him and everyone relaxed and just had a good time.

They returned to their apartment just before ten and Booth was very anxious to get Brennan alone. His plans for her had been on hold all day and it was high time to implement them he told her on the elevator ride up to their floor. He had her dress unzipped before the front door shut behind them and her on the couch straddling his lap seconds later. His hand tangled in her hair, completely destroying her French twist in the process, and pulled her mouth down to his waiting lips, pushing hers apart and darting his tongue inside her mouth to explore and tangle with hers. His hand had just begun to roam her body when there was a loud knocking on the door. Brennan tried to pull away, but Booth held her in place and desperately prayed that whoever was there would go away so he wouldn't have to shoot them. No such luck. The knocking became pounding and Hodgins voice sounded loudly enough to disturb the neighbors.

"Open up, guys. We know you're in there. It's important." Brennan crawled off Booth's lap and turned her back for him to zip up her dress. He reluctantly complied and snarled at the next series of raps on the door.

"Calm down, Hodgins. We're coming, already." He followed Brennan to the door. The couple outside looked at each other. Angela trying to appear completely innocent and Hodgins looking apprehensive but determined. Angela had come home after taking the afternoon off from work almost giddy. She had bounced around the mansion singing under her breath until Hodgins had asked her what drugs she was on. She had replied that she wasn't on drugs, she just had a secret. Hodgins had bugged her all last night and most of today to let him in on the secret and was thrilled when she had finally agreed to tell him. He was, however, less than thrilled after he learned the secret. He found that he did not want to know this secret, but now that he did, he couldn't not do anything about it. And the only thing that he could think to do was to dump it in Booth's and Brennan's capable hands. Angela giggled as the door swung open and Brennan's voice floated out into the hallway.

"Booth, that's ridiculous. God is not punishing us because I said sex so many times this afternoon." She turned to greet Angela and Hodgins, effectively ending her conversation with Booth.

"What's wrong?" Booth looked at Angela and his eyes narrowed as his gaze turned to Hodgins. They didn't look like anyone was dead or even seriously injured and anything else could wait till morning, Booth decided. Not giving the pair a chance to answer Brennan, he cut in with his own questions.

"Hodgins, can't it wait until morning?" Hodgins rubbed his earlobe at Booth's tone but held his own.

"No."

"Sure," Angela chirped in, turning to leave. Booth started to close the door, but Hodgins put out his hand and halted the doors forward progress, swallowing hard at Booth's raised brow. He reached out and caught Angela's arm with his other hand.

"Hodgins is someone dead or dying?" Booth snapped.

"No."

"Then it can definitely wait till morning." The door closed a few more inches.

"Okey dokey. Bye now." Angela again turned to leave but Hodgins still held her arm.

"Angela, tell them," he demanded. She patted his arm and grinned at Booth and Brennan.

"Can't you see that they're busy, Hodgie? We can share with them in the morning. We should go." She smiled apologetically at Booth and Brennan like Hodgins was the one acting crazy and she was just humoring him. The door only lacked three or so inches closing in their faces when Hodgins realized that he was going to have to do this himself.

"Booth." The door stopped but didn't open back up. "Nobody's dead but someone is in the loony bin." The door started inching forward. "And it's not Zach." The door stopped.

"Who?" demanded Brennan. Angela was happy to answer that one.

"Sweets," she confided her tone full of satisfaction at a job well done. The door swung open and Booth gestured them inside. He didn't care what Brennan said. God was definitely punishing him for something.


	44. Chapter 44

**Ladies and gentlemen, for your enjoyment (I hope), more gratuitous sex.**

**Disclaimer: They're not mine but they're sad about it after this chapter.**

Brennan and Booth followed Angela and Hodgins into the living room of her apartment. Hodgins dropped onto the couch as if he was seriously dreading what was coming but Angela perched on the arm of the sofa as if she didn't have a care in the world. Brennan walked into the room and was very puzzled by their obviously divergent reactions to Sweets predicament. Her mind whirled with possibilities of how this might have happened. Booth didn't much care how it had happened. He wasn't in the mood for company and he just wanted to find out what was going on, fix it and send them on their way. Then, he just dared anyone else to knock on their door, he would definitely shoot them. Not to kill, just to injure and send the message that you were taking your chances when you approached their door. He dropped into an armchair across from the couch and pulled Brennan down to perch on the arm, his hand unconsciously rubbing circles on her hip.

"Explain, Hodgins." He barked, his impatience obvious to the three other people in the room. Brennan slid down into his lap and laid a hand on his chest, calming him instantly. He was still irritated, just not dangerously so. He smiled his thanks at Brennan then turned his glare back on Hodgins. Hodgins looked at Angela and saw that she wasn't going to be any help so he took a deep breath and launched into an explanation.

"Apparently, Angela got Sweets thrown in the loony bin." All eyes turned to Angela and she shrugged, avoiding three sets of eyes.

"Ange, what did you do?" demanded Brennan. "I told you to stay away from him, Ange." Angela stiffened at Brennan's tone and narrowed her eyes at her best friend.

"And I did, Bren. I never went near him after midnight of that day. He came to me," she defended herself, "and he was thoughtful enough to bring his therapist with him." Angela was giggling to herself as Booth and Brennan looked at each other wide eyed and Hodgins just shook his head at Angela's vindictiveness.

"Tell them the rest, Ange." Demanded Hodgins. She did. With complete candor, she relayed Sweets' and Amanda's visit to the lab, her actions, Amanda's fears that he was a danger to Angela (her laughter at this one sent chills down everyone's spines), and Amanda's assurances that he would be hospitalized immediately. Brennan and Booth stared at Angela in shock and Hodgins gave them an I told you so look. Angela was completely unrepentant.

"Oh my God, Angela, why would you do that?" Angela began to feel uncomfortable under Brennan's incredulous gaze and became defensive.

"What did I really do, Bren? I made a few faces at him. So what? He's a big boy, he should be able to control himself better than that. He did try to attack me, not the other way around." Hodgins scratched his head and weighed in on the issue.

"I hate to say it, but she does have a point." Booth had to agree. Sweets was a psychologist, a trained professional. If he was ready to attack someone over making a few faces at him, how stable was he in the first place? But something had been bothering him about the wording of Angela's telling them she hadn't gone near Sweets since Brennan had ordered everyone to cease and desist.

"Angela, did you actually see Sweets after we all agreed to leave him alone in Bones' office that day." Her eyes dropped and Booth knew that she had. So did Brennan and Hodgins.

"Ange, what did you do?" Hodgins half groaned the question, almost afraid of the answer. Angela lifted her chin and glared at Hodgins.

"I just had a few drinks with him and told him we couldn't be BFF's anymore."

"And that's it?" Booth demanded suspiciously. She shrugged and, again, avoided everyone's eyes and they all knew there was more.

"I might have gone with him to get a tattoo." Booth and Hodgins burst out laughing at the thought of Sweets voluntarily getting a tattoo. Brennan looked at them in confusion.

"She means that she talked him into getting a tattoo, Dr. B. Right, Ange?" Angela glared at him again, but stubbornly insisted that Sweets had walked into the tattoo parlor and asked for the tattoo under his own steam. She didn't mention that she had paperwork to prove it, she thought this would be TMI for the current situation.

"I don't understand." Brennan turned to Booth to clear up her confusion. "What does it matter if Angela or Sweets initiated the idea of a tattoo, if he wanted to get one?" Booth smoothed the hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear with a tender smile.

"Maybe a better question would be just how drunk was he when he got this tattoo?" She still looked confused. "Baby, some people are the type of people who willingly get tattoos and some just aren't. Trust me, Sweets would never willingly get a tattoo." Brennan blinked at him for a moment then her eyes narrowed.

"So, you're accusing Angela of somehow coercing Sweets into getting a tattoo?" she clarified in a neutral voice. Booth smiled at her approvingly, pleased that she had got it and her eyes narrowed even further. He was less pleased when she removed herself from his lap and stood glaring down at him. "How can you make an accusation like that with no proof whatsoever, Booth? Angela would never do something like that. Not after I asked her to stop." Brennan was so focused on Booth that she didn't notice how uncomfortable that Angela looked. Booth's eyes narrowed and his irritation shot up a notch.

"Bones, believe me when I say that Sweets did NOT come up with the idea to get a tattoo on his own." Hodgins chose to reiterate his opinion at this point.

"I've got to agree with Booth on this one, Dr. B." Brennan swung to face him and he wished he had kept his mouth shut.

"What about me, Hodgins? Would you think that I would willingly get a tattoo?" Hodgins didn't even think about it.

"No way." He laughed at the thought but quickly shut up when he saw how Brennan was glaring at him.

"Neither did Booth. And you were both wrong." Hodgins eyebrow rose at this information, his scientific brain immediately demanding details. "So, see Booth, your gut isn't infallible and you shouldn't accuse Angela of something without proof." Booth opened his mouth to respond when Angela jumped to her feet and put a stop to the argument.

"I did it!" she yelled. "I got him drunk and talked him into getting a tattoo, OK? Just stop arguing." She and Hodgins' jaws dropped when Booth and Brennan grinned at each other and Brennan reseated herself in Booth's lap his arms going around her waist and pulling her closer.

"You _played _me, Bren? But how?" she was flabbergasted. Brennan and Booth hadn't spoken a word to each other that she and Hodgins hadn't heard. _How in the hell had they decided to mess with her?_ Brennan smiled proudly.

"We've been working on non verbal communication when we're questioning the perv's." Angela wasn't sure whether to be amused or insulted that Brennan had played her, but she was leaning toward insulted at being called a perv, until Booth spoke up.

"It's perp, Baby, not perv." _Well, that was better_, thought Angela. _Not much but a little._ She chose to be amused, but realized that Brennan wasn't amused. She was disappointed in Angela and for the first time, Angela really looked at her actions from someone else's perspective and saw that she had clearly been out of line. With a sigh, she sat back down on the couch and told them everything: the tattoo, the letters which she had forged their signatures on, her threats, and her visit to Zach the previous afternoon. Thankfully, she was able to honestly tell them that she had kept Zach out of it. By the time that she had arrived in the visiting room to see him, she had decided that she should be protecting Zach from Sweets, not using him to gain retribution on the psychologist.

"I'm sorry, Bren. I had no right to exact revenge in your name after you asked us to stop." Angela saw from the look in Brennan's eyes that the other woman had lost at least a little trust and respect in her and vowed to get it back. She had to swallow hard to make the next statement but felt that it was necessary. "I'll even apologize to Sweets." Brennan could see what it had cost Angela to make that offer, but she wasn't sure it was such a good idea to put those two in the same room for a while and would have to discuss that with Booth.

"I am disappointed that you didn't stop when I asked you to, Ange. But we'll get through it." Brennan was grateful that Angela had seen the error of her ways and had at least made the correct choice not to involve Zach in this. It would have been much harder to forgive her if she had done that. That settled to her satisfaction, her brain went to work on the problem. Sweets was incarcerated in a psychiatric hospital and had been for the last 30 hours or so. That was the problem. They should probably try to get him out. But how?

"What are we going to do about it?" Hodgins didn't really have a solution, hence, their late, unwanted arrival at the partners' door. Angela made a comment without much hope that they would listen to her.

"What can we do?" Three sets of eyes looked at her and she held her hands out in surrender. "No, seriously, what can we actually do?" She looked at her watch and continued. "It's 11:30 on a Saturday night and Sweets was admitted by a licensed psychologist. Even if we all show up at the hospital, they're not going to just release him on our say so." She was absolutely right and the others knew it. What else was left? Brennan felt like she should at least make the suggestion.

"We could call Amanda and tell her the truth." Angela flushed a little at the look that Brennan shot her way but she still didn't see how that would make a difference tonight.

"We could, Bren. But will she do anything before morning? Assuming, of course, that she'll let him out even after we tell her the truth. He really did try to physically attack me in the lab. He even accused me of making Daisy break up with him." She saw everyone look at her in askance and immediately jumped to her own defense. "Hey, I had nothing to do with that. Nothing. He really was acting crazy yesterday." They all avoided each other's eyes for several seconds until Hodgins whispered the thought running through all their minds.

"What if we drove him over the edge? Made him snap like a twig? What if they never let him out?" A brooding silence fell over the room. For about 20 seconds, then Booth urged Brennan to stand and stood himself.

"Yeah, Hodgins, as sad as that would be, there's really nothing we can do about it tonight and it's getting late so I know you guys need to be on your way." Booth rubbed his hands together and grinned at their guests. Hodgins and Angela looked at each other, crossed their arms over their chests and leaned back against the couch. Angela grinned teasingly at Booth.

"No, Booth. We're not in any hurry and it's not that late. We could stick around for a while, maybe order some takeout and watch movies." Angela winked at Hodgins and he smothered a laugh as Booth walked over to the couch, reaching down and catching first Hodgins then Angela by the arm and lifting them to their feet.

"You know, Ange. As fun as that sounds, we're going to have to pass. Bones and I've had a long day and we're tired." Keeping his hold on their arms, he marched them to the front door. Angela looked at Brennan with a raised brow. Brennan shrugged, but she did blush and Angela and Hodgins both lost it at the sight of Brennan embarrassed about Booth's being in such a hurry to send them on their way so he and Brennan could jump each other. Booth winked at Brennan, opened the front door and pushed the giggling pair outside.

"Goodnight," he said pleasantly, shutting the door in their faces. He turned and came toward Brennan with a predatory look in his eyes that caused Brennan's stomach to clench and her breath to catch in her throat.

He walked up to her until their bodies were flush and slipped his arms around her waist, bending his head and urging her lips apart with his, pushing his tongue into her mouth to forage and plunder. Her moan echoed his, as she slid her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, rubbing her hard nipples against his chest and starting to walk backward toward the bedroom. With their lips locked, tongues tangling and hands roaming, they slowly made their way across the living room. They were even with the couch when Brennan's stocking clad foot came down on something hard and metallic. She winced and jerked her foot up. Booth looked at her in concern then looked at the floor and saw a set of keys that he knew didn't belong to him or Brennan. They could only belong to Hodgins and he would surely be back to collect them at any time. Brennan started to laugh, but Booth didn't think it was funny. He jerked Brennan against his chest and ravaged her mouth, immediately stopping her laughter. After one more kiss, he turned her toward the bedroom and gave her a sharp smack on the butt and told her he would meet her there in five minutes.

Angela and Hodgins left the building still laughing at Booth's obviousness. As they approached the car, Hodgins searched his pockets and came up empty when it came to his car keys. He did find a hole in the pocket that he habitually deposited his keys. He stopped laughing when he realized that he was going to have to go back upstairs and interrupt Booth and Brennan again. He had a premonition that Booth wasn't going to be thrilled. Angela, standing on the other side of the car, waiting for him to unlock the door, looked at him questioningly.

"Hodgie, open the door, already."

"I can't. I can't find my keys." He checked again just to make sure it was necessary to go back upstairs. Yep. Still no keys. Still a hole in his pocket. Logically, they should check Brennan's apartment. Booth was so going to kill them. "We have to go back up there." He jerked his head in the direction of the apartment building. He and Angela looked at each other apprehensively, then Angela laughed.

"Come on, Hodgins. What's he going to do to us?" she grabbed his hand and pulled him back inside the building.

"Has he ever threatened to shoot you?" Hodgins huffed.

"No, and he's not really going to shoot you either, Hodgie." She pulled him onto the elevator and Hodgins hoped she knew what she was talking about. They got off on Brennan's and Booth's floor and walked down the hall with some trepidation, especially when they stood before the apartment door. They looked at each other and Hodgins slowly reached out and flipped over the note that was taped to the door and they both burst into laughter. The note was on a plain white piece of printer paper and the front said:

**DO**

**NOT**

**DISTURB**

**DO NOT KNOCK ON THIS DOOR**

**HODGINS/ANGELA: See Back of Note**

The back of the note said:

Angel/Hodgins

Take your keys and go home. If you even think about knocking on this door before 10:00 AM, I will shoot both of you.

**Goodnight**

The note was obviously from Booth and Hodgins keys were firmly taped to the door under the note. Hodgins gratefully grabbed his keys and turned to Angela just in time to grab the fist about to make contact with the door.

"Ange, what the hell are you doing? Didn't you see that note?" Hodgins pointed to the note in question on the off chance that Angela had missed it.

"Hodgins, he threatened to shoot us. We can't let him get away with that." Hodgins grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the elevator.

"Yes, we can, Ange. As long as he's got the gun, he gets to threaten to shoot people. That's just the way it works, Babe. Get used to it." They were at the elevator and he held her arm with one hand and punched the button with the other. He wasn't about to turn her loose because she kept eyeballing the apartment door and he didn't trust her not to march back down there and knock just for the hell of it. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him.

"And I guess now you're going to tell me it's a guy thing, huh?" The elevator doors opened and he dragged her in punching the down button.

"Yeah, sure, Ange. It's a guy thing." He didn't really like lying to her but, hey, if a little white lie is what it took to keep them both from getting shot, he'd make it up to her later, he thought as he dragged her out of the building and to the car.

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Booth closed and locked the front door with satisfaction, certain that he and Brennan wouldn't be further disturbed tonight. He turned and quickly made his way to the bedroom, unbuttoning his shirt as he went. He stopped in the bedroom door and watched as Brennan, dressed only in a black lacy bra and panty set, reached up and took her earrings out and put them away. By the time she reached for her hair he was standing behind her, having shrugged out of his shirt on his way across the floor. He caught her hands in his and shook his head at her in the mirror indicating that he wanted to take her hair down. He reached forward and removed the pins, one at a time, until her auburn tresses tumbled down. He leaned forward to place the pins on the dresser and his hard chest pressed against her back. She pressed backward then tried to turn toward him. He slid his arms around her waist and held her in place.

His head bent and he nuzzled her hair aside to place kisses and nips along the side of her throat. Her head fell back against his shoulder and her eyes drifted closed as his hands explored her abdomen and moved upward toward her breasts. She arched her back and moaned to hurry him along. He smiled against her throat and gave in to her silent demand after making a demand of his own.

"Open your eyes, Baby. I want you to see how beautiful you are. I want you to watch me touch you." The words sent a bolt of desire straight to Brennan's core, releasing a rush of moisture and soaking her already wet panties. She forced her eyes open as she pressed her hips backward, rubbing up and down against his erection. Her arms reached up backward to encircle his neck, leaving her completely open to him. It was a gesture of trust and he treasured it. His hands moved in to cup and mold her lush breasts through the lacy black bra, moving very close to but not actually touching her breasts. She arched her back harder, pressing her breasts into his hands and whimpered, biting her lip. Still without touching her nipples, his nimble fingers went to the front clasp of her bra and quickly undid it. He slowly peeled the cups of the bra from her breasts, making sure that the lace scraped against her pebbled nipples and she moaned in response, pressing and rolling her hips back against him, pulling a low groan from his throat.

Booth was hard and aching, as he had been several times today and he had been looking forward to playing their little domination game, but he found he wouldn't trade what was happening at the moment for any game. Watching himself touching her and knowing she was also watching was somehow making all the tactile and visual sensations more intense. His fingers feathered lightly across her nipples and she bit her lip to hold back a moan. His eyes met hers in the mirror, telling her he didn't want her to hold back, he wanted her to express everything she felt and his wicked smile told her he would be pushing her to verbally express herself. He pulled the bra from her shoulders and down her arms. She took the opportunity to reach behind her and grasp his hard length through his slacks, stroking him several times. His hips pushed forward rhythmically and his forehead dropped to her shoulder with a hiss of pleasure.

Her hands reached for and undid his belt, button and zipper, only fumbling a little, even backward and he smiled against the back of her neck at her dexterity, but let her have her way, even when she pushed his pants and underwear down over his hips. As he pushed his pants and underwear down his legs and carelessly kicked them off, her hand closed around his hard on and he groaned loudly as she stroked him from base to tip, varying her speed to match the thrusting of his hips. She was trying to make him lose control, he saw it in her eyes, and he had to fight the urge to jerk her panties off and bend her over the dresser and take her right now, but she wasn't quite ready yet, he decided, removing her hand from his penis and pulling both arms back up around his neck, locking her fingers together to hold them in place. His hands went back to her breasts while his lips and teeth feasted on her shoulder and the tendon on the side of her neck.

His fingers went straight to her nipples, plucking, pulling and rolling them between his thumbs and forefingers. She let out a hiss followed by a long, slow moan and rolled her hips against his, his erection sliding against the silky material of her flimsy panties. She felt like she was being bombarded with tactile stimulation. His naked body pressed so tightly to her back and his hands playing so skillfully with her breasts. At the same time, she felt as if she was being denied tactile stimulation. Her fingers ached to touch him. She wanted to turn and put her mouth and hands all over that hard, toned body and it was ramping up her arousal to be denied that. She was wet and throbbing with desire. She turned her head to demand that he allow her to turn around and touch him and he caught her mouth in a passionate kiss, his tongue slipping past her lips to tangle with hers and one of his hands sliding down her abdomen and into the front of her panties, finding her wet and more than ready for him. Almost, but not quite ready, he decided, his fingers sliding through the auburn curls, to find the hard little nub of pure sensation that was engorged and throbbing.

Brennan's hips rolled, begging for his touch on her clit and firmly rubbing against his erection with every roll, while she sucked his tongue into her mouth and she almost pushed him over the edge. He pulled back from her mouth and leaned down to nip on her ear.

"Not yet, Baby. I want you to watch while I make you come." His hot breath puffed against the sensitive shell of her ear sending shivers down her spine and pebbling her nipples even harder. One hand was still shaping her breast and plucking at the nipple, but she was concentrating on the hand inside her panties. The one whose fingers were slipping down to part her moist folds and slip inside her tight channel as the thumb firmly rubbed her clit for several strokes then tapped it in an ever changing rhythm that kept her on edge. Her hips were bucking against his hand and he could feel her inner muscles tightening and dragging at his fingers as he pumped two and then three fingers inside her. His thumb rubbed her clit firmly in a figure eight pattern and her breath caught, her body bowed tightly, right on the edge but not quite there. He leaned down and lightly bit down on her shoulder, rolling her nipple between his thumb and forefinger, while increasing the pace of his thrusting fingers and flicking thumb.

Their eyes holding in the mirror, she suddenly grabbed the hand on her breast and drew it to her mouth, sucking his forefinger deeply into the moist, warm depths, swirling her tongue around it as if his penis was actually in her mouth. She came hard and he fought down his own orgasm, keeping a steady rhythm with his thrusting fingers until the pulsating waves of her orgasm began to fade, then slowing his rhythm and easing her gently down. She sagged against him for several moments then tried to turn. He simply shook his head, removing his fingers from her panties and pushing them down her legs. She kicked them off and turned her head to give him a scorching kiss before giving him what his eyes told her he wanted. She leaned forward and braced her hands on the dresser, spreading her legs wider apart and threw him a sexy smile over her shoulder.

"Now I want to watch when I make you come." She demanded. _Oh, he thought that could be arranged,_ he thought, pushing her legs a little wider apart and stepping in closer behind her. Reaching down, he took his throbbing cock in his hand and rubbed it up and down her dripping folds, teasing them both. She pushed back around him, forcing just the tip of his penis inside her. That was enough to push him over the edge. He grabbed her hips and met her eyes in the mirror, pushing himself inside her to the hilt a little roughly. She gasped loudly, dropping her head down between her shoulders until he couldn't see her face and he froze, afraid that he had hurt her, but she pushed back against him, hard, and raised her head to meet his eyes in the mirror and what he saw on her face wasn't pain. It was desire, raw and primal, just like the desire that was clawing through him looking for a release.

"Please, Booth," she begged, her hips jerking against him, her face and voice giving him permission to release the desire he had been trying to harness and tame. _She didn't want it tame and who was he to deny her what she wanted? _ He gripped her hips tightly enough to leave bruises, but neither worried about that now.

"Hold on, Baby," he warned, pulling almost all the way out and plunging back in so deeply that their pelvises collided. She was so tight that her walls drug at his cock with every thrust and it felt so damn good that he was deaf, dumb and blind to anything else, his thrusts getting harder and faster as his orgasm quickly approached. She met every thrust with a hard roll of her hips and a gasp or grunt.

He was doing his fair share of gasping and grunting as her walls tightened around him and he realized that she was on the verge of a second orgasm. He had to force his eyes open and met hers in the mirror as his hips pistoned into her, his thrusts coming harder and faster. He reached around and pinched her clit between his thumb and forefinger, twisting slightly just as she felt him swell and lengthen inside her and over the edge she went, followed immediately by him. Her walls milked him in pulsating waves and felt like he emptied his very soul into her. They sagged together against the dresser for several minutes, until Booth was sure he could stand and he swung Brennan up in his arms and carried her to bed, sliding them both under the covers and pulling her tightly to his chest. He tilted her head up and kissed her deeply.

"I love you, Brennan." She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his head down demanding more kisses.

"I love you, too, Booth." She finally released his head, smiled at him sleepily and laid her head on his chest, asleep almost instantly. Booth lay for several minutes softly stroking her hair and just enjoying the feel of her in his arms before following her into slumber.


	45. Chapter 45

**Musie is a little out of control today, so buckle up and enjoy the ride is the only advice I have to offer. Thanks for reading and please review.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

Booth awoke to soft hands and even softer lips moving over his chest and abdomen. His eyes opened and his breath hissed out as those soft lips closed around a nipple, bringing it to pebbled hardness and causing his gut to clench. Sultry blue eyes met blazing brown ones as Brennan raised herself up on her hands and knees and draped herself over him. He gave her a sleepy smile, his hands going to her hips trying to settle her against the hardness between his thighs.

"Good morning," he whispered. She returned the smile, but took both of his arms by the wrists and pulled them over his head, pinning them to the bed with her hand.

"Good morning," she returned, leaning down to nip at his lower lip, darting her tongue in teasingly when his lips parted. Her hands ran down the undersides of his partially extended arms, across his shoulders and began to slowly stroke and trace each clearly defined muscle on his chest as her lips pushed his apart and her tongue ventured deeper into the moist depths of his mouth. His arms came down and one hand tangled in her hair, angling her head and taking control of the kiss, his tongue now plundering her mouth. The other hand again went to a hip, urging her to move down several inches from where she was seated to a much more pleasurable position for both of them.

She responded passionately to the kiss but didn't change her seating arrangements. Several minutes later, she pulled back from his lips, breathing hard, and patiently untangled his hand from her hair. Taking hold of both wrists, she once again pulled them above his head, extending them fully this time and wrapping his fingers around a spindle on the headboard. He raised an eyebrow. She leaned down, grazing his chest with her hardened nipples and swirled her tongue around the sensitive shell of his ear. He shuddered and his eyes drifted closed, missing the wicked smile drifting over her face.

"Uh uh, no touching for you, Baby." Her hot breath against his ear sent another shudder through him. When he understood what she had said, his eyes popped open to see her waiting patiently to explain, the wicked grin lingering on her lips. "It's my turn. I get to do all the touching this time." She sat up on his abdomen and started tracing feather light patterns on his chest with only the forefingers of each hand and he already wanted to grab her and roll her under him. She saw that in his eyes and warned. "If you get grabby, I'll have to stop." _Well, he certainly didn't want that and he was a fair guy. He was all for giving her a turn. _ He nodded his consent to her rules and she bent forward, her lips, tongue and teeth grazing his chest and moving downward as he closed his eyes and just enjoyed the equality of the sexes.

Three hours later, Booth was jolted to wakefulness not nearly so pleasantly by someone pounding insistently on the front door. _What the hell? Could they not read?_ Apparently not, as the knocking showed no sign of abating. _They apparently couldn't tell time either_, Booth decided, noting the clock beside the bed read 9:30. But to be fair, he had to consider that they hadn't seen the time restraints he'd placed on knocking because it had been on the back of the note.

Booth pulled himself out of the arms of a warm, tousled Brennan, angrily jerked on pajama bottoms and grabbed a t-shirt, pulling it over his head as he stalked toward the front door wondering who could be stupid enough to ignore his note. It had to be a stranger, someone who didn't know him and how fed up he had to be to have resorted to pinning that kind of note to the front door. Or, it could be someone who was just plain crazy and completely disregarded the threat implied in the note.

Booth knew that it wasn't Hodgins. No way would he be knocking on the door before 10:00 AM. It could be Angela, he mused, she was just on the verge of being crazy enough to do it, but Booth couldn't see Hodgins letting that happen.

"What?" snapped Booth, jerking the door open. Not Angela, but obviously crazy decided Booth, looking into the smiling face of Dr. Lance Sweets. "Dammit, Sweets, can't you read?" he demanded and pulled the door open wider to tap his finger angrily on the attached note. _Wait. Wasn't Sweets supposed to be in the loony bin? Wasn't that what all the drama last night had been about? Had he somehow escaped and come here seeking revenge?_ Booth seriously doubted it but he was going to have to invite the kid in and get to the bottom of this instead of just quickly sending someone on their way as he had hoped. _Crap._ Sweets rolled his eyes and his smile never faltered.

"Yes, Agent Booth, I can read, but this is important. May we come in?" Sweets held up his right hand and Booth, for the first time, noticed that his fingers were intertwined with those of a very pretty, young woman about Sweets' age who was definitely not Daisy and both of them were directing beaming smiles at Booth.

"Sweets, what are you doing here?" Booth turned as Brennan's shocked voice came from directly behind him. She looked sleepy and tousled but had pulled on pajamas before following him out to, presumably, rescue whoever was stupid enough to ignore Booth's note and knock on the door. When Booth turned, Brennan could see the woman with Sweets and Booth deduced from her loud gasp, that she knew the woman. "_Amanda?_" Her voice was incredulous as she took in the linked hands and beaming faces. She stepped forward and motioned both inside the apartment. Booth arched a brow at her and she shrugged to indicate that she had no idea to his question of what was going on. Sweets and Amanda both caught the little exchange and Sweets shot Amanda an I told you so look to which she just grinned.

Brennan and Booth silently led the couple to the living room and watched as they seated themselves on the sofa still holding hands and sitting closely enough to indicate an intimacy between them. Brennan's eyebrows rose at this unprofessional behavior on the part of her friend. She and Booth seated themselves in the two chairs opposite the couch and both leaned forward, bracing their elbows on their knees, their stances mirror images of each other. Sweets smiled at their unconscious copying of each other's gestures.

"I don't understand," Brennan announced to no one in particular, her eyes on the couple on the couch. "Amanda, Angela said that you were admitting Sweets to a psychiatric hospital Friday afternoon." Sweets' smile widened.

"She changed her mind," he replied and Amanda turned to smile at him.

"Changed it or lost it?" Booth muttered under his breath, eyeing the couple making goo goo eyes at each other. Brennan shot him a look that told him to drop the attitude, although she'd had the same thought.

"I can see that," Brennan said cautiously, shooting Booth a help me look. He stepped in to take over the interrogation.

"So, Sweets, what was it that you needed to see us about? You said it was important." Sweets and Amanda turned their attention back to Booth and Brennan. They visible tensed and the smiles left their faces.

"Yes, Agent Booth, when Amanda and my relationship….changed, an ethical issue came up for both of us and you two are the only ones who can make a decision concerning that issue." The smiles were back but Booth and Brennan looked utterly lost, they had no idea what in the world Sweets was talking about. Amanda turned to Sweets.

"Honey, Agent Booth and I have never met. It might help if you introduced us." Sweets brought his hand up and hit his own forehead with a Duh motion. Booth's eyes locked on that hand. _No. Freaking. Way_. Sweets turned to Booth and smiled at his shocked expression.

"Agent Booth, I'd like you to meet Amanda Sweets. My wife."

"What?" yelled Brennan jumping up from her chair and backing away from the couple on the couch and Booth jumped. He had never heard Brennan's voice reach that octave and her eyes were huge and glued to Sweets and the little woman. Booth stood up and went to Brennan.

"Baby, what is it? What's wrong?" He put his arm around her shoulders, but she continued to back up.

"Booth, Hodgins was right. We made him snap like a twig. And it appears to be contagious." She whispered loudly, obviously removing herself from close proximity to avoid contamination by the crazy bug. Booth smiled but knew better than to laugh at Brennan on the rare occasions that her rational, logical brain failed her and she just reacted to something. Sweets and Amanda, unfortunately, didn't know better and broke into gales of laughter.

"I'm not crazy, Dr. Brennan," Sweets assured her. Amanda smiled at Brennan.

"Brennan, you've known me for years, you know I'm not crazy." Brennan crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the laughing couple.

"How long have you two known each other?" she queried. They looked at each other and Sweets answered easily.

"A couple of weeks." Brennan had more questions.

"And it's not crazy that you're married? Weren't you in love with Daisy two days ago?" Brennan was sensitive enough to throw Amanda a look of apology for the question. Amanda smiled back at her, appearing to be completely comfortable. Sweets did look uncomfortable at the question but he answered it much more fully than Booth expected or would have.

"Dr. Brennan, Daisy's and my relationship came to an end Thursday by Daisy's choice, I might add, and I realized that, no, I didn't love her." Sweets waved his hands at the chairs they had vacated, obviously inviting Booth and Brennan to be reseated. "Dr. Brennan, you know that insanity is not contagious," he chided. "Please sit." Booth pulled Brennan back to her chair and she reluctantly seated herself, apparently still unwilling to get too close to the couple, just in case. He opted to perch on the arm of her chair rather than return to his own.

"How did you get married so quickly? There's a three day waiting period." Booth was asking questions now. Amanda took this one, grinning at Booth and Brennan.

"Not in Vegas. We flew there and got married yesterday and came back this morning." Booth's eyes narrowed. If he and Brennan had gotten married yesterday, he sure as hell wouldn't be visiting people that had been making his life a living hell the next morning before 10 AM. This must be really important. Sweets saw the understanding enter Booth's eyes and got down to business. He disentangled his hand from Amanda's and leaned forward resting his elbows on spread knees and clasped his hands together looking at the floor for several seconds. He took a deep breath and looked up and met Booth's eyes levelly.

"The ethical issue that came up, Agent Booth, was that Amanda technically should report me to the ethics board governing licensing in this state, but our marriage obviously complicates the issue for both her and myself." Brennan looked at him in horror.

"Oh my God! Sweets, did you marry her just so she wouldn't report you?" Brennan was obviously ready to do battle on behalf of her friend. Amanda laughed.

"Calm down, Brennan. Of course, he didn't marry me because of that. Give me some credit here." Her eyes pleaded with Brennan to give the two of them a chance to explain before she judged them. "Please?" she added. Brennan studied her silently for several seconds and nodded.

"I don't understand." Booth rarely used that phrase, but it was certainly appropriate at the moment. He didn't have a clue where Sweets was going with this conversation.

"Agent Booth, when the Bureau faked your death, I didn't notify Dr. Brennan because of national security concerns, as I told you." Brennan interrupted with an eye roll and a snort.

"He knows that already Sweets." Sweets smiled a little apprehensively at Brennan. Amanda scooted forward and slipped one of her hands between Sweets' clasped ones. Sweets turned a look on her that mirrored looks that Booth often gave Brennan, Booth suddenly saw. Well, well, well, if Sweets felt the same way about his wife as Booth felt about Brennan, they would be fine. In fact, they were lucky to get it together so early in the relationship.

"I know, Dr. Brennan, but I need to say this. I chose not to notify you of the ruse for my own personal gain, to study your reaction and further my own research." He met her eyes levelly and never flinched. Booth had to give him credit for that. "I don't have words to express how much I regret the pain that I caused you, Dr. Brennan. All I can say is that I'm very sorry. And I hope that someday you can forgive me."

He could get into her reaction, but Sweets was willing to bet that she had no idea that the video of her stay in Limbo even existed and no good could come out of her finding out that he had seen it. He had already destroyed the video rather than returning it to Angela. He also intended to speak to Angela and ask her to destroy any backup copies. No one needed to see the raw agony that Brennan had suffered because of him. It was an unacceptable invasion of her privacy. Sweets never broke eye contact with Brennan as she studied him like one of her skeletons. Finally, she nodded slightly. Booth had scooted her over in the oversized chair and squeezed in with her when Sweets started talking. He wasn't sure if he would be comforting Brennan or holding her back from attacking Sweets so he was ready for anything or thought he was. She floored him with her response.

"That's all I ever really wanted from you, Sweets. For you to acknowledge your complicity and know that what you did was wrong." _Well, Booth had wanted a hell of a lot more than that. _ He had wanted the kid to suffer, but he had to admit that it had gotten a little out of hand and they hadn't intended for the trouble they caused him to threaten his career. Sweets smiled at Brennan.

"Thank you, Dr. Brennan." Brennan wasn't finished with him yet.

"I didn't say that I forgive you, Sweets. That's going to take some time. And just for the record, I'm not sorry for the masturbatory device that we gave you, but I am a little sorry that it caused you so much trouble." As always, Brennan wanted to be clear. The other three in the room smiled at each other, all well used to this little quirk.

"I look forward to the day that you can forgive me, Dr. Brennan." He turned his eyes to Booth. "Agent Booth, I owe you an apology, as well. I violated your trust and I put your relationship with Dr. Brennan at risk and I am truly, truly sorry." Booth looked the kid in the eye and saw that he had grown up over the last couple of weeks. Maybe it was the trouble they had sent his way or maybe it was the woman by his side, Booth didn't know but he was looking into the eyes of a man and not a 12 year old. Booth nodded at him.

"Sorry, Sweets, but I'm with Bones on this one. I'm working on forgiveness but I'm not quite there yet." Sweets was a little disappointed but he had expected as much.

"I hope that you both will give me a chance to win your trust back." He held up his hands before they could express the objections that he could see in their eyes. "If the Bureau requires you to continue therapy, it will be totally up to you whether it is with me or another therapist. I will accept whatever role that you are comfortable with me taking in your lives, personal and professional." Sweets knew that this was something that the partners would have to discuss at length and he wouldn't have an answer today. Now for the really hard part. "My behavior was unprofessional, unethical and bordered on abusive and Amanda and I," he gripped Amanda's hand tightly and took a deep breath before rushing out the rest, "have agreed that you should be the ones to report me to the ethics board."

Booth and Brennan looked at each other in silent communication. Both knew what a black mark doing that would put on his career and neither wanted to do that. He had suffered enough and learned his lesson, they hoped. It certainly appeared so, from his behavior today. Knowing they were in agreement, Booth turned back to Sweets.

"We don't want to do that, Sweets," he assured him. A huge, grateful grin split the kid's face and he turned to his wife, pulling her into a tight hug. Amanda looked at them over Sweets' shoulder, her eyes filled with tears of gratitude.

"Thank you." she mouthed to them. Booth looked at the couple before him and saw shades of him and Brennan and found himself intensely jealous of the young man sitting before him. Sweets had seen something that he wanted and had gone after it. Booth loved his relationship with Brennan but he wanted his ring on her finger, to be able to introduce her as his wife and that promise of forever, everything that they'd had in his coma dream with a soul deep longing that he had managed to repress until this moment. He would have to remember to thank Sweets for giving him a wakeup call, he thought as an idea sparked in his mind.

Sweets and Amanda turned back to Booth and Brennan thanking them profusely and reminding them the option of the ethics board remained open, they should talk about it and make sure that they didn't want to utilize that option. Booth and Brennan were both impressed that they had even offered them the option, especially since they couldn't possible have known the outcome. Brennan offered them something to drink and Amanda went to the kitchen with her, leaving Booth and Sweets alone. Booth looked at Sweets and felt mixed emotions. He had pretty much forgiven the kid, but it wouldn't hurt for him to have to work for it a little before Booth told him so. He felt like the baby duck had grown up while he wasn't looking and it was kind of a sad feeling, like he had missed something important. He was a little uncomfortable with him, but he was intensely curious about how the baby duck had ended up married so quickly. Booth leaned forward and so did Sweets.

"So, Sweets, you and Amanda, huh?" Sweets just smiled. "It happened pretty fast, huh?"

"Yeah, Agent Booth, it really did. There we were lying in bed after we…,"

"Whoa. TMI, Sweets." Sweets laughed at Booths flushed face.

"Anyway, I just knew right then that I wanted to be with her for the rest of my life, so I asked her to marry me." Sweets studied Booth, familiar enough with him to know that he was thinking hard on something.

"And she said yes." Booth mused. _Ah, that was what was on his mind_. Sweets knew he wasn't their therapist anymore but he couldn't resist giving the agent a push.

"Yeah, Agent Booth. Sometimes they do that. You never know what the answer will be until you ask." Booth's eyes flew up to meet Sweets and Sweets obvious happiness struck Booth anew. Booth was very happy with his life, but being married to the woman of his dreams would make him the happiest man in the world, would put the same silly smile on his face that was currently on the younger man's face. "It's just my personal opinion, Booth, but I predict that she will say yes." Sweets didn't realize that he had dropped the agent in front of Booth's name and Booth didn't call him on it. He sat back, musing on Sweets' words, not even pretending not to know what they were talking about.

"You really think so?" Sweets' chest swelled with pride just to be asked his opinion.

"Yes, I really think so." Both men sat back in silence for several minutes until Booth remembered to share something important with Sweets.

"We called Angela off. She won't be giving you any more trouble." Sweets turned back into the 12 year old in front of Booth's eyes. He sagged in relief.

"Oh, thank God. She is wicked evil." Booth had to laugh aloud. He had almost missed this Sweets in the more mature young man that he had been conversing with. He had a feeling that he'd better get used to the new Sweets, they would probably be seeing more and more of him. Sweets brought up Booth's favorite hockey team and they were off.

Brennan looked at her friend as they stood in her kitchen and saw that she was genuinely happy and, apparently, had no doubts about tying herself to someone she barely knew for the rest of her life. Amanda had just finished explaining to her how she had come to be at Sweets' apartment and Daisy's appearance, leading to their first kiss, bed and a marriage proposal.

"But, Amanda, the release of hormones causes the phenomenon known as post coital bliss. How could you make such an import decision without further study?" Brennan knew that she probably sounded cold, but she was actually just curious, not critical or judgmental and, luckily, Amanda had known her long enough to know this. She smiled gently at Brennan and placed a hand on her forearm.

"I don't know, Bren. I just knew with everything inside me that it was the right answer." She withdrew her hand and gazed at Brennan with narrowed eyes. "Let me ask you a question." She laughed at Brennan's wide eyed expression. "What would you say if Booth asked you to marry him?"

"Yes." The word burst forth from Brennan's lips with such force that both women giggled. Brennan hadn't, in actuality, given it that much thought, but, she now realized, she had just assumed that she and Booth would get married at some point. The certainty she had felt that this was the correct answer to Amanda's question gave her the answer to her own. If Amanda had felt this certainty with Sweets, then she had done the right thing. "I understand," she told her friend. They chatted amiably about several things but Brennan's mind was concentrating on one thing. _Why hadn't Booth asked her to marry him? Did he not want to marry her or did he just think that she would say no?_ She would have to study this and devise an appropriate course of action to let him know that she would be amenable to marriage.

They rejoined Booth and Sweets a few minutes later and chatted for a couple of hours until Amanda grabbed Sweets' hand and reminded that they were meeting her father for brunch. Sweets and Amanda both looked very nervous and a terrible thought hit Brennan.

"Amanda, please tell me that your father knows that you're married and has met Sweets." Amanda's avoidance of her eyes told the story. Brennan's eyes widened. Brennan grabbed Amanda's arm and dragged her into the kitchen. "Amanda, does Sweets even know who your father is?" Amanda again avoided her eyes. "Oh my God, he is going to have a fit. You know that, right?" Normally, Brennan wouldn't notice or care but she had seen Amanda's Congressman father in more than one snit and he could set off more fireworks that the nation's capital on the fourth of July. "Amanda, he is going to eat that boy for brunch." Brennan had never understood that expression until that moment.

"Come on, Bren, it won't be that bad." Amanda looked hopeful and resigned at the same time. She already knew that it was going to be awful. Brennan was unsure why she hadn't warned Sweets, but it really wasn't her place to interfere. Both women looked up as two throats cleared from the doorway. Both men stood there with raised eyebrows. Amanda hurried over and grabbed Sweets arm, pulling him toward the front door. Brennan threw them a sick smile and fervently hoped the congressman didn't decide to have duck for his entrée.


	46. Chapter 46

**Thank you, everyone for sticking with me on this one but it is about time to put it to bed. We are back to B&B but Musie is still in a snit as you can see, so please bear with me. Please, please review.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine and probably glad of it right now.**

Two weeks later, things were back to normal for Booth and Brennan or, at least, what passed for normal for the two of them. They had just finished a trying case that almost went unsolved because of evidence contamination by an FBI tech at the original crime scene. Brennan had personally marched into the lab at FBI headquarters to yell at the unsuspecting tech (without Booth's knowledge) and had wound up yelling at the director of the lab instead. The man, angry and embarrassed at being called out in front of the entire lab, had gone to Cullen threatening to quit if Dr. Brennan didn't stop abusing him and his techs.

Cullen had asked Brennan to come in and discuss the matter, expecting it to turn into a shouting match between the two of them. It had definitely appeared to be heading in that direction when Brennan called the Director of the lab incompetent and completely incapable of training and supervising himself, much less a lab full of others. Cullen had been insulted on behalf of the FBI and the lab director until Hodgins, who had accompanied Brennan, had pulled out a sheaf of reports dating back over a year.

They were documentation of evidence that had been improperly collected, completely missed or just downright contaminated at so many crime scenes that Cullen felt his face burning at the obvious incompetence of the FBI techs. The Jeffersonian had been able to cover their butts in each and every case, sometimes saving the case in the process. But what about the cases where the Jeffersonian hadn't had their backs? Cullen had to wonder. In every instance, a memo had been sent to the lab director, citing details and making suggestions for specific advanced training to improve the skills of the techs.

In the last few months, Brennan had even proposed that a specific team be assigned to work the crime scenes that involved the Jeffersonian and the Jeffersonian be allowed to give them training to assure that their standards were maintained. To date, they still hadn't heard from the lab director from the first memo. Cullen was stunned and disgusted at the whole situation. _Why the hell hadn't he known about this?_ Brennan insisted that he had been told of the mistakes by Cam and Cullen had to wince as he recalled tuning Cam out when she started whining about his people's incompetence. _ Crap, why hadn't they just given him the reports_? Brennan informed him that he had an appointment with Cam next week for her to do just that. Checking his calendar, he saw that she was, as usual, correct.

Cullen, with an evil smile, had sent for the lab director and the man had been all smiles when he entered the office, expecting Brennan to be apologizing to him at Cullen's insistence. He was less than pleased when Cullen had handed him copies of the memos and demanded an explanation, then turned Brennan loose on him when he just sputtered, not making any sense. The man had pulled his tattered dignity around him and stood, again threatening to quit, stunned speechless when Cullen quickly accepted his resignation. Hodgins had laughed uproariously and congratulated Cullen on playing the man. Brennan had merely given him a chiding look and a raised brow.

Cam's meeting with Cullen had been moved up and they had hammered out an agreement for a specific team to be assigned and trained by the Jeffersonian with more of the techs being incorporated into the training portion until they had all been through it. The FBI lab was currently in upheaval and this would help the lab director's replacement quickly spot hopelessly incompetent personnel as opposed to just poorly trained ones. Cam was pulling her hair out, trying to get all the administrative details worked out but Hodgins and Brennan were ecstatic, relieved that they would no longer be doing clean up duty. Angela was just happy that her little family was well and happy and no one had seriously pissed her off in the last two weeks.

Booth entered the Medico-Legal lab on the second day of training for the FBI techs, just as they were exiting. He quickly stepped aside and held his nose when he got a good whiff of the "students". They were filthy and smelled like rotten garbage. That could only mean one thing. Hodgins. Booth looked around, noting a grinning Hodgins on the platform, giving his students some last minute advice.

"Remember, everyone, we have sludge and slime tomorrow, so you might want to bring a change of clothes." Most of the departing techs groaned but Booth winced as he heard a couple of people comment that they would quit before they spent another day with Dr. Demento, certainly a descriptive name for Hodgins. Cullen had informed Booth they had lost three techs after their introduction to the training program with Brennan yesterday and ordered him to reign in the squints. Yes, he wanted their techs to be well trained, but, dammit, you couldn't train them if they all quit, now could you? Nodding at Hodgins, who was happily playing with his garbage, Booth continued on toward Brennan's office. Seeing that she wasn't there before entering, he turned to survey the lab for her when Angela sidled up to him with a helpful suggestion.

"She's in the decontamination shower, if you're interested." _Did he look stupid? Of course, he was interested._ He returned Angela's grin.

"Thanks, Ange." He was sorely disappointed to see Brennan walking toward him, still pinning up her wet hair, just as he turned toward the shower. Angela snickered at the crestfallen look on his face. Brennan walked up to them both, reaching up to give Booth a light kiss on the lips. Booth noted that she smelled a lot better than their students for the day and remembered that he needed to talk to her.

"Are you ready to go?" she asked.

"In a minute," he responded, taking her hand and pulling her into her office. They had both learned that it was best to discuss work issues that might cause conflict at work and leave them there, not allowing them into their home.

"What is it, Booth? We need to go. Parker and Wendell will be waiting on us." He knew that but he had assured Cullen that he would speak to her tonight and he had a feeling that this discussion would definitely cause conflict so they were most assuredly leaving it at the office.

"I know, Bones, but Cullen asked me to speak to you about taking it a little easier on the techs in their training." He winced as her eyes narrowed. _Yep, definitely a touchy subject. _

"So, Cullen is satisfied with a bunch of incompetent employees?" Her eyebrow and ire rose at the same rate. Not waiting for Booth's response, she continued, "Fine, Booth, but I'm not sure how much longer the Jeffersonian can continue to associate itself with such an unprofessional, incompetent organization." She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. _Ouch_. Now Booth's back was up at the insult to his beloved FBI. He mirrored her gesture.

"There won't be a crime lab left to associate yourself with if you and Hodgins don't ease up. The techs are jumping ship like it's the Titanic." Booth's voice was rising, as his hands went to his hips. To his surprise, Brennan didn't yell back. She walked to her desk, picked up a piece of paper, marched over and handed it to him.

"I'm not talking about the FBI lab, Booth. I'm talking about the FBI, as in our partnership." She wrapped her arms around her waist and turned away. He turned stunned eyes to the piece of paper in his hand. It was a memo from the Jeffersonian Board of Directors, dated today and read as follows:

The inexcusable and inexplicable incompetence displayed by the FBI lab can only lead this board to wonder at what level the incompetence stops. That Dr. Brennan's concerns and those of her team were ignored for more than a year certainly implies that the upper echelons of the FBI chose to ignore a potentially explosive situation, choosing to continue with business as usual rather than addressing the issues and correcting the problems. This board has been made aware of the joint Jeffersonian and FBI effort to properly train FBI personnel. While this is definitely a separate issue, we have decided that the program will be given a three month trial. If, at the end of that time, the same problems exist with the FBI, the Jeffersonian will have no choice but to sever the professional relationship that currently exists between our organizations.

"What?" whispered Booth, raising his eyes to Brennan, who was now facing him again, his eyes begging her to tell him that he had misunderstood and the Jeffersonian wasn't threatening to split them up. She walked back to him.

"Don't you see, Booth? We can't take it easy on them. They have to know what they're doing or, in three months, we won't be working together anymore." Seeing the fear in her eyes calmed his own panic. He reached out and pulled her into his arms, holding her close.

"It will be okay, Baby. You'll see, everything will work out." She snorted and pulled back slightly, but before she could express her doubts, Hodgins burst into the room waving what could only be the memo about theatrically. He was closely followed by Angela.

"What the hell is this? Have you seen this, Dr. B?" the angry, dirty, smelly Dr. Demento demanded. Brennan pulled out of Booth's arms and turned to face her colleague.

"Yes, Hodgins, I've seen it."

"What the hell are they thinking?" Hodgins was pacing in his agitation.

"They're thinking it will look really bad for the Jeffersonian if the upheaval at the FBI lab ever makes the papers," supplied Cam, leaning against the doorframe to Brennan's office, arms crossed and a look of anger on her face. "I had to present the facts to them but I had no idea that they would have such a knee jerk reaction as that." She pointed to the memo clutched in Hodgins' hand. "I guess I should have known, since everything comes down to one thing with those people." Everyone except Cam and Hodgins looked confused.

"Money," supplied Hodgins and Cam nodded her agreement.

"I don't know what that means." No one even cracked a smile at the comment coming from Angela. This situation was deadly serious to everyone in that room.

"It means that their federal funding is far outweighed by private donations and they're afraid that negative publicity for the Bureau will reflect badly on the Jeffersonian, drying up those donations. It would also, more than likely, cause a decreased number of visitors for the museum, which provides a huge chunk of operating capital for research." Cam explained in disgust. They all five looked at each other helplessly.

"So, what do we do?" whispered Angela. Brennan gave the only answer she had.

"We make them competent. We have no other choice." Booth looked around, the faces of the four squints clearly telling him they each had doubts about being able to accomplish that miracle in the next three months and his panic exploded.

"There has to be something else we can do. Come on, you guys are freaking geniuses, you can think of something." He saw the startled looks from Cam, Hodgins and Angela, but didn't calm until he felt Brennan's hand slip into his. He looked over to find her giving him what he thought was supposed to be a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, Booth. Everything will work out. It will be ok." It was obvious that she didn't believe it, but his heart melted that she would violate her always tell the truth rule to make him feel better. And she was right, no matter what happened with the FBI and Jeffersonian, it would be all right. They would get through it as long as they were together.


	47. Chapter 47

**Sorry about the delay. I thought I had already posted this chapter. Thanks for reading and keep the reviews coming.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

"Do we really have to go to this thing, Bren?" Booth whined, sitting on the bed in their bedroom, dressed in an unbuttoned dress shirt and underwear, watching Brennan as she stood before the mirror in just her lacy bra and panties, pinning up her hair. She shot him a look in the mirror and nodded.

"Yes, Booth, we really have to go to this thing. We promised Amanda and Sweets that we would be there for moral support and it won't kill you to wear a tux for one night. Besides, you know what seeing you in a tux does to me." She sweetened the pot, just as he came up behind her, sliding his arms around her waist and leaning down to nuzzle her neck.

"How about I put on the tux, then we just stay in?" She leaned back into him and tilted her head, giving him better access to her neck, but laughed at his suggestion.

"Booth, we can't. I talked to the Congressman this afternoon, so we're expected. He said he's looking forward to meeting you, by the way." After Sweets' horror story of his first meeting with the esteemed Congressman, Booth could honestly say he would be happy to never make the acquaintance of the gentleman. Brennan laughed again at the look on Booth's face, turning to take his face in her hands and kiss him lingeringly on the lips. "Come on, Baby. It's just for a few hours, then we'll have the rest of the night to ourselves." She coerced.

"Fine," he groused, grabbing his tuxedo pants and pulling them on. Dressing quickly, he returned to his seat on the bed, watching as she pulled on an ice blue, evening dress that left her shoulders bare and just barely skimmed her curves, hinting at, then revealing those curves as she moved and twisted. He wanted nothing more than to strip it off of her and demand they stay home, his eyes told her as he, once again, came up behind her, this time pulling up her zipper and dropping a kiss on her shoulder. "You'll be the most beautiful woman there," he assured her. She scoffed.

"Booth, you can't possibly know how my physical appearance will compare to other women before we even arrive. He spun her around, cupping her face in his hands.

"Of course I can, Baby. Anywhere you are, you're the most beautiful woman there," he breathed into her mouth before giving her a kiss that threatened to get out of control, both pulling back wishing the night was over. She smiled at him and simply accepted the compliment as he had taught her was standard practice.

"Thank you. You look very handsome yourself." She straightened his tie and they left the apartment a few minutes later. With traffic, it took them almost forty five minutes to reach their destination. As Booth recognized the neighborhood, he whistled in appreciation.

"Whoa, Bones. This is Hodgins' neighborhood." She nodded.

"Yes, the Congressman's residence is in very close proximity to Hodgins." Booth wondered at her definition of close, as all these estates appeared to have spacious lawns and wooded areas surrounding them.

"So, Amanda is loaded, huh?" Brennan nodded complacently.

"I believe that Amanda's family is quite wealthy, yes." Booth whistled again as their destination came into view. It could only be described as a mansion, ablaze with lights with an impressive number of vehicles slowly inching forward to deposit their well dressed occupants at the open front door. Booth relinquished the SUV to the valet and escorted Brennan inside.

The entry was lighted by a magnificent crystal chandelier hanging two stories above their heads. Off to the right, a staircase curved elegantly upward to the floors above. Off to the left, accordion doors had been thrown open to reveal a grand ballroom complete with marble floors and two smaller chandeliers matching the one in the foyer. The place was packed as they made their way inside the ballroom. The first person they saw was Lance Sweets and he looked at them as if they were his salvation, quickly making his way over to them.

"Man, am I ever glad to see you two," he greeted, shaking Booth's hand. Sweets had really started to grow into the man he would someday be in the last few weeks and Booth and Brennan were very glad they hadn't damaged the baby duck beyond repair or reported him to the ethics board.

They had all talked about the revenge thing with Booth and Brennan being the ones to apologize on that one. And they had meant it, they had been upset with Sweets but what they had done had been juvenile and unprofessional, they should have just confronted him with what they knew, they saw when it was too late. Luckily, no permanent damage had been done. They had offered to go to Cullen and confess, but Sweets had declined, deciding to stay in therapy after he had met Amanda's father. He said it sure couldn't hurt to have someone to talk to about the older man. When Booth and Brennan asked Sweets and Amanda how the first meeting with the Congressman had gone, they both paled, quickly changing the subject. Sweets had shared some of the details with Booth privately, breaking into a sweat just talking about the event. Even Angela no longer had a problem with Sweets, although he gave her a wide berth and she thought it was hilarious he was scared of her. Booth and Hodgins didn't tell her they were also a little afraid of her.

"What's wrong, Sweets? Not your cup of tea?" Booth joked. Sweets grimaced.

"Not in the least. I would have been happy with a much smaller, simpler reception, but the Congressman insisted and it is impossible to say no to that man." Sweets griped. Brennan grinned at him, patting him on the arm.

"No, it's not, Sweets. You just have to stand up to him. He really likes that." she assured him, inwardly amused at the look of fear on the young man's face at the thought of standing up to his father-in-law. Sweets gulped.

"Um, Dr. Brennan, I don't think that's a good idea." She patted his arm again.

"Nonsense, Sweets, I do it all the time." Sweets paled at the thought of Dr. Brennan and the irascible Congressman going head to head. It was the stuff of nightmares to his way of thinking. He stiffened at a familiar chuckle from behind him, turning and trying to smile at the tall distinguished looking man standing there.

"She does stand up to me, too. I've even had security come running a time or two when we're having a discussion in my office." Congressman Pearson stepped forward and pulled Brennan into a tight hug. Pulling back, he kissed her cheek. "Hello, Red. You look great. How are you?" Booth and Sweets wore identical expressions of shock that Brennan had allowed the hug and the nickname without lambasting the man. She smiled easily.

"I'm fine, Daniel. How are you?" The two were even more shocked that Brennan was on a first name basis with a Congressman. Brennan turned to Booth, slipping her hand into his left one. "Daniel, I'd like you to meet Special Agent Seeley Booth with the FBI," she said proudly. Congressman Pearson turned cool grey eyes on Booth surveying him from head to foot, sending a chill down Booth's spine, before extending his hand to shake Booths.

"Hello, Agent Booth. I've heard a lot about you. I'd like to have a few minutes of your time privately a little later tonight." Sweets was standing behind Daniel frantically shaking his head and waving his arms to indicate that under no circumstances did Booth want to have a private chat with the man. Booth shook his hand, smiling and nodded.

"It's nice to meet you, Sir. I'd be happy to give you some time later." Daniel raised an eyebrow at this_. Nice, not easily intimidated. He might just have some fun with this one. _Brennan rolled her eyes at the pair.

"Daniel, leave him alone," she ordered sharply, Sweets and Booth noting that Daniel looked like someone had just taken away his favorite toy, but his look told Booth they would definitely be chatting later. Daniel excused himself to see to his other guests and Sweets sagged as the older man left.

"Dude," he told Booth, "you do not want to have a private chat with him. Trust me on this, Booth." Amanda came up to the trio, gorgeous in a white Dior evening gown. She looked at Booth sympathetically and was surprised to see that he didn't look shell shocked.

"I see you just met my father," she grimaced. They all looked at each other and broke into laughter. Amanda and Sweets acted like Daniel was an ogre when, in actuality, he was an overprotective father who was used to power and getting his way. He was a good man who just acted like an ogre. They all drifted to the sumptuous buffet, grabbing glasses of champagne along the way. Amanda eventually dragged Sweets off to introduce him to friends, Booth and Brennan making their way to the dance floor. Booth pulled Brenna close, enjoying having the most beautiful woman there in his arms and Brennan snuggled closer. Since schmoozing really wasn't their thing, they spent most of the night on the dance floor, in their own little world, as if the rest of the people weren't even there. Brennan finally announced that it was time to go and Booth was more than ready. She went off to find Amanda and say goodnight. Booth turned and found himself face to face with a smiling Congressman.

"Agent Booth, have you seen the gardens?" Daniel's voice was congenial but his eyes were sizing Booth up.

"No, Sir, I haven't." Booth's voice was even.

"Then, please, allow me to give you a tour." It was more of an order than an invitation, but Booth followed the man through the open balcony doors, curious as to what he had to say. They walked along the garden pathways until they were alone, neither making any pretence of looking at the stunning gardens. "I've read your file, Agent Booth," Daniel said bluntly, raising his hand when Booth stiffened and looked like he was about to protest. "I'm just telling you that so you'll know I mean it when I say that Red has a lot of friends on the hill. To some of them, she's useful but they owe her big. But to a lot of us, she's a very special woman who deserves a lot better than what life has thrown her way so far. I looked at your file when she and my daughter became friends and I got to know her. Seemed to me, there wasn't anybody looking out for her and that just wasn't right." Booth had to interrupt on this one.

"I've always looked out for Brennan." Daniel nodded.

"I know that, Agent Booth. If you hadn't, you would have been reassigned over two years ago." There was steel in the older man's tone and Booth knew he was telling the truth. He certainly had the power to make it happen. "That's exactly why I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Red sometimes does….favors for the State Department and they've gotten a little too dicey for my tastes a few times. I know how much integrity she has and I figured she probably hadn't told you about that, but you need to know." Booth's entire body was rigid, his hands fisted, as he growled.

"They deliberately sent her into dangerous situations?" Daniel gave him a Duh look and shrugged.

"It's the State Department. Most of those mooks would send their own mother's into battle to avoid upsetting a foreign government." Daniel's voice reflected his disgust.

"When?" questioned Booth, "The only time I don't know exactly where she's at is when she goes on her digs." He realized he had just answered his own question. She had been lying to him, to all of them, about where she was going and why. Well, probably not why, because she pretty much did only one thing but still, she'd been lying to him for years. Seeing Booth's rising agitation, Daniel stepped in.

"Don't take it so hard, Agent Booth. She could hardly tell you the truth about where she was going, the State Department loves to throw around "National Security Issues" and you know what a stickler for following the rules that Red is." Booth nodded. He couldn't really have expected her to violate the trust others had placed in her to tell him where she was really going and she hadn't been on one of her digs since they had become a couple. "One of the times that security got called to my office was when I accidently found out where they were sending her and objected. She didn't take it well." The men exchanged the look of someone who had been on the receiving end of her temper. Taking a deep breath to calm the temper that always rose when he thought about this incident, Daniel shared the important part of the story with Booth. "The convoy she was in was attacked. Only she and one other person out of a company of twelve walked away. She hasn't accepted an invitation from them since, but they're about to push her to do some very dangerous work for them. I thought you should know so that you can try to talk her out of it."

"Thank you, Sir. What is it, exactly, they want her to do?" Daniel smiled at Booth's fiercely protective tone.

"I can't give you details, but they want her to do what she does best." Identify dead bodies, skeletal remains to be exact and it wouldn't be in a pleasant, peaceful place or there would be no need for the secrecy. Booth looked at Daniel, judging him to be honestly looking out for Brennan's well being.

"Thank you for the information, Sir."

"You can drop the sir, Agent Booth. Call me Daniel." Booth actually felt honored. "And I'm not finished yet." Booth wasn't sure how much more he could handle tonight. Right now anger that she and others had deliberately placed her in danger was washing over him in waves. Thankfulness that she had come back to him safely was trying to balance out the anger but anger was winning at the moment. Booth gave Daniel a please continue nod. "As I said, Red has a lot of real friends on the hill and even more people that owe her favors. If she were to need to call in some of those favors to, oh, I don't know, keep the Jeffersonian from severing its partnership with the FBI, she certainly has more than enough outstanding markers for something like that. Hell, she probably has enough markers to elect the next President of the United States."

Booth saw that Daniel was telling him the absolute truth and felt a great deal of relief that his and Brennan's partnership really wasn't at risk, until he realized that it was unlikely that she would agree to do anything like that. If they weren't able to bring the FBI lab up to speed in the three months, Booth wasn't sure he would be able to convince her to use her political clout for personal benefit. Daniel saw the doubt in Booth's eyes. "You just have to make a phone call, Agent Booth," Daniel took out a business card with all his personal numbers on it, handing it to Booth. Booth accepted the business card, holding out his other hand to shake, extremely grateful to this man for filling him in.

"Thank you, Si..Daniel," he corrected himself just in time, unable to fathom why Sweets had such a problem with this helpful guy. Daniel nodded, calling out to Booth after he'd turned away and taken a couple of steps. Booth turned back and the look that had sent a chill down his spine earlier was back in place.

"I will be watching you, Agent Booth." Daniel assured him. Booth nodded, turning away with a shiver. He could now see why Sweets was so nervous around the man. _Crap_, he realized, making his way back into the mansion to find Brennan, _the Congressman was going to be his Angela, the one keeping an eye on him._ It was not a comforting thought because, whereas Angela might want to kill you when you pissed her off, Daniel could have it done with a phone call.

On the ride home, his mind whirled with the information he had been given, deciding whether he should confront Brennan about what he'd learned or not. No, he decided as they entered the apartment and she twirled into his arms, kissing him passionately. He just had to trust she would tell him about it when she was ready and he knew to be on the lookout for those lowlifes at the State Department. He didn't believe for a second that Brennan would lie to him about anything now, but he would keep a close eye on things. No way in hell were they going to send the woman he loved into danger on his watch.

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The training program with the FBI techs was not going well. They were one month into the three month trial period and Brennan was at her wit's end. The entire Jeffersonian team was a mess. They felt as if they had the weight of the world on their shoulders, well at least the weight of the crappy FBI lab, and nothing they did was teaching the techs as fast as they thought they should learn.

They gave them IQ tests, which, not surprisingly, quite a few of them found offensive, especially after Brennan commented, within their hearing, that she was certain they would see better results if they weren't working with such substandard intelligence. Hodgins vehemently agreed. Luckily, Angela was able to step in and assure the group of students the two scientists certainly didn't mean them, while Cam dragged a protesting Brennan and Hodgins off the platform. Even though the brighter techs knew full well Brennan and Hodgins were talking about them, Angela managed to pacify them and restore their pride enough that no one actually quit over it.

The four had meeting after meeting, planning and revising teaching protocol and everything else they could think of, but Brennan and Hodgins were having a very difficult time dumbing their science down enough for a person of average intelligence to understand and retain in the time allotted for each class. Booth, Cam and Angela tried to help, but they only made the two more frustrated and left them feeling even more out of touch with the masses than usual. In fact, they usually never thought about how to interact with the masses, but now they could think of nothing else. Booth prayed for a miracle. He got two.

The first miracle came in the form of eight year old Parker Booth. Rebecca dropped him by the Jeffersonian one Friday afternoon for his weekend with Booth. It had been a long, tiring, frustrating day for Brennan and she was very happy to see the little boy. She gave him a brilliant smile when she saw him enter the lab, motioning him onto the platform, where she leaned down to give him a tight hug which he returned. Seeing the obvious affection between Brennan and Parker humanized her to the group of techs.

They had previously seen her as cold, unyielding, robotic even, but now they saw warmth, love and caring for another human being and everyone's attitude toward her softened at least a little. Brennan offered Parker the option of waiting in her office or off to the side on the platform. He chose the platform (No surprise there). Halfway through her third explanation of a relatively simple evidence recovery technique, frustration rising at an alarming rate, Brennan felt a tug on her arm and looked down to see Parker standing beside her. Her frustration immediately dissipated and she smiled down at the little boy.

"What is it, Parker?"

"Will you show me how to do it, Bones?" She smoothed his hair back from his forehead affectionately.

"Sure, Parker, but later, ok? I have to teach them how to do it first." She pointed to the techs with a noticeable lack of enthusiasm.

"Please," Parker begged, hitting her with the Booth charm smile, knowing full well she would cave if he used it. She always did. She narrowed her eyes at the little charmer then she laughed. He and Booth both knew she couldn't resist that smile and took full advantage of it. She smoothed his hair back once more and pretended to be considering it, finally nodding at his pleading look.

"All right," he exchanged a high five with Hodgins, to everyone's amusement.

Brennan looked at her class of techs, giving them the warmest smile they had ever received from her and told them to take a break. A few of them left the platform, but most stayed, absolutely fascinated at the Parker/ Brennan interaction. Brennan grouped her supplies, handing Parker each piece of equipment as needed and patiently talked him through the process. Halfway through, she jumped as Hodgins poked her in the ribs with his elbow. She looked at him in irritation only to find him grinning from ear to ear.

"Look," he whispered, pointing to the techs. Brennan was stunned to see every single one of them was copying Parker's movements, doing them concisely and correctly, for the most part. She and Hodgins could only look at each other slack jawed. It had never occurred to them to prepare the material at such a fundamental level. They had been teaching at an adult level, but that obviously wasn't working so they were more than willing to give this a try.

The rest of the afternoon went swiftly and smoothly after Brennan grudgingly agreed to share Parker with Hodgins. It seemed that he couldn't just imagine that Parker was standing there and he was teaching him how to do it. Parker actually had to be standing there. After allowing him adequate time to refine his new teaching technique, Brennan reclaimed custody of Parker from a protesting Hodgins. The techs thought Brennan and Hodgins fighting over who got to show the little boy something next was hilarious and that allowed a very long, difficult week to end on a positive note. The techs left thinking that maybe they weren't quite as stupid as they had been thinking. Brennan and Hodgins didn't revise their opinions on the intelligence of the techs but they now knew they were capable of learning and they could work with that.

Brennan and Booth spent a relaxing Saturday taking Parker to the zoo then hitting the video store and allowing the little boy to choose several age appropriate movies. They were planning on a lazy Sunday at home, after Booth and Parker returned from Mass. Booth was still reluctant to let Brennan accompany them to church, but she had no doubts that she could get him to take her if she really set her mind to it. She was a genius, you know.

Wendell and Michelle, his girlfriend, joined them for dinner and one of Parker's movies. Michelle was relatively new in Wendell's life. His girlfriend of almost four years had suddenly broken it off with him several months earlier and Michelle had moved in. They had been dating a couple of months and Michelle was already talking about marriage, pushing Wendell to deepen the relationship before he was ready. Parker had taken a violent dislike to Michelle and Brennan shared his opinion. Booth constantly told the pair to give her a chance, chiding them to stop making gagging motions at each other behind her back before they got caught and embarrassed Wendell, but they didn't think Wendell would be embarrassed, he had already caught them and laughed so hard he cried.

Sunday went as planned until late afternoon. Booth and Parker were laid out on the sofa, mindlessly watching the last of Parker's movies and Brennan was working on her latest book when Booth's phone rang. Brennan knew immediately that he was talking to Cullen and it was important. He hung up the phone several minutes later, turning to look at her, his frown slowly turning into a wide, sexy grin. She couldn't help but smile back.

"What, Booth?" she was laughing now.

"Pack your bags, Baby," her eyes widened as he used his Tony the Tiger voice, "cause we're going to," he walked over, lifting her out of her chair and spinning her around, "Vegas." They finished together in a near shout, collapsing in laughter when Parker looked at them like they had lost their minds.


	48. Chapter 48

**Okay, boys and girls, here's the deal. I give you gratuitous sex and you give me reviews. Fair enough? I'm certainly good with it.**

**Disclaimer: Alas, they're not mine.**

They had been able to take a late flight from DC to Vegas, not interfering with their weekend with Parker and arrived to check in at the Venetian, where the local FBI had booked them, after 10 PM. The desk clerk had immediately recognized Brennan and brought forth one of her books, requesting an autograph. Brennan had signed it with only a little hesitation; she was still caught off guard when people asked for an autograph out of nowhere. The clerk called the manager and they were upgraded to a penthouse suite despite Brennan's protests. She had to admit that she was more than a little impressed by the beauty of the lobby with the inverted dome, displaying painting of scenes of Venice.

The manager insisted on showing them to their suite. They grinned at each other and politely declined the butler that came with the suite. The manager proudly opened the door, leading them into a beautifully appointed living area with floor to ceiling windows directly in front of the seating area. There was a dining area for 12, two bedrooms with king size beds, one of which also featured floor to ceiling windows, two full bathrooms with whirlpool tubs large enough for six, and a fully equipped office and kitchen. Brennan's eyes had been caught by all the glitter outside the window. She had stood staring at the twinkling lights while Booth escorted the manager out, then went to her.

Las Vegas was just as hot and shiny as Brennan remembered it. Actually, during the daytime, if you left the strip, it was tattered like a once grand lady who had seen better days and who had not aged gracefully. During the night, it was all glitter and glamour, she noted standing at one of the glass walls in the penthouse suite at the Venetian, gazing at the millions of neon lights fighting to attract the attention of the average tourist and lure them into that Casino's den of iniquity. Booth came up behind her, slipping his arms around her waist, pulling her back against him and resting his chin on her shoulder.

"What are you doing?" She turned her head to smile softly at him.

"Looking at the lights and thinking." He nuzzled her hair aside and dropped a kiss on the side of her neck.

"What are you thinking about?"

"How hard it must be for you to be here." He stiffened slightly and she turned toward him quickly. "Oh, no, Booth, you're not getting the urge to gamble, are you?" _Oh, he was getting all kinds of urges right about now, none of them had anything with gambling and everything to do with the beautiful woman in his arms._ He dropped his forehead to her shoulder so she wouldn't see the devilish gleam in his eyes, wondering just what she would come up with to distract him from the lure of gambling. She turned fully toward him, slipping her arms around his waist, hugging him tightly, his face snuggled into the curve of her shoulder and neck.

"Would you like to do something else to distract you?" He nodded against her neck and could practically hear her brain humming trying to come up with an acceptable alternative. She tried to pull away from his embrace and his arms tightened. "Let me go, Booth. I need to call the front desk for show tickets." He shook his head, letting his lips wander down her neck and along her collarbone. "You don't want to see a show?" He shook his head again. She was beginning to sound panicky and he felt bad for teasing her. "Then, I don't know what to do to help you, Booth. You have to tell me what to do." _That could most definitely be arranged. _ He finally raised his head and her breath caught as she saw that his eyes were almost black, reflecting the blinking neon lights outside the window.

His hand snaked up and tangled in her hair, pulling her head back just roughly enough to make her gasp and stare at him wide eyed, licking suddenly dry lips. His eyes dropped to her lips, darkening even more, then raising back to hers. She was beginning to see that she had been played, but didn't care, her insides clenching at the predatory gleam in Booth's eyes. He ran the other hand down to her hip and pulled her firmly against him, causing her eyes to widen further at the prominent evidence of his desire. He leaned down, almost touching her lips with his and told her what he wanted.

"You owe me a game night." She looked puzzled, then her eyes drifted closed as he tugged her lower lip between his teeth, darting his tongue teasingly into her mouth at her gasp. He chuckled, the vibration against her aroused nipples making her moan. "And, believe me, Baby, we are going to play tonight." Her eyes flew open as she realized what he meant. His eyes were fixed on hers, waiting for her to understand and agree. He saw what he needed to in her eyes, lips locking onto hers, pushing them apart, plunging his tongue in and plundering her mouth like the conquering hero. And she let him, mindlessly returning those delicious kisses and drowning in the rioting sensations his lips and hands roused inside her.

Booth gripped the back of Brennan's head with one hand tangled in her soft auburn tresses, his lips and teeth eating at her mouth almost roughly. His other hand gripped her hip, rubbing her firmly against his prominent erection. Being back in Vegas with her was putting thoughts of all the things he had wanted to do to Roxy prominently in his mind and she wasn't objecting. She was, in fact, pressing her pebbled nipples into his chest by wrapping her arms tightly around his neck, releasing breathy moans into his mouth that were quickly driving him insane. He had to slow this down, he decided or they weren't going to be playing anywhere near all night long. He pulled back slightly, but she wrapped herself around him and jerked him back against her, just as he would have expected Roxy to respond, tearing a low growl from his throat.

Spinning them 180 degrees, he backed her toward the bed, his hands tearing at her clothes, her shirt and bra expertly discarded within ten steps, his hands working on the button and zipper of her slacks. Her hands jerked up his t-shirt, but he wouldn't remove his hands from her body long enough for her to slip it over his head. She pulled her mouth from his.

"Booth," she protested as his hands slid down the back of her open pants, tightly gripping her ass and jerking her hips against his straining hard on, "I thought you wanted to play?" She gasped as his teeth attacked her neck, shuddering as he slid one hand out of her pants and down her leg, lifting it to rest on his hip.

"Play later," he rasped as the back of her other leg hit the edge of the mattress, tipping them onto the bed, with her sinking into the thick mattress on her back. He twisted slightly to the side to keep from crushing her and followed her down.

Quick as lightening, she flipped him onto his back and climbed on top of him to hold him down, working her hands under the hem of his t-shirt and pushing it up, jerking it over his head, tossing it aside and leaning down to kiss him deeply and passionately. He opened his mouth and let her have her way for the moment, fighting the urge to roll her back over, strip her the rest of the way naked and bury himself inside her, taking her hard and fast, driving them both toward the relief they craved from each other, then and now. He had wanted to do that so badly he'd ached with it when they shared a bed here in Vegas before. It appeared those urges hadn't dimmed with time or familiarity.

Her hands went to his belt buckle, efficiently undoing it, swiftly followed by the release of the button and lowering of the zipper of his jeans, causing a hiss of relief to escape when some of the pressure on his throbbing cock was relieved. Her lips trailed along his jaw line, down his throat and onto his chest, nipping her way down to his already hard nipples, nipping lightly with her teeth then laving with her tongue. Gasps and groans fell from his throat as her mouth moved down his sculpted abs, licking and nipping, leaving a trail of fire in their wake. His hand wrapped itself in her hair just as her tongue darted into his bellybutton, briefly pressing her face into his abdomen, shuddering and trying to bring himself under control. He felt as if this was the first time they had ever made love and he was desperate to know what it felt like to bury himself in her hot depths. He gently tugged on her hair, bringing her head up to meet his eyes.

"Can Roxy come out and play?" Her face instantly transformed into the Roxy persona, causing his gut to clench almost painfully and his cock to twitch against her soft breasts.

"Sure, Tony, you know how much Roxy likes to play." That smoky, sexy drawl sent shudders down his spine.

"Then come to Daddy, Baby." His hand in her hair urged her face back to his. She followed his instructions in true Roxy fashion, licking her way back up his abdomen, chest and neck and dragging her generous breasts through the wet trail left by her tongue, peaking her own and his nipples in the process.

He pulled her head down, his avid mouth swallowing the gasps and groans falling from her lips as he rolled her over, grinding himself against her center, pushing her deeply into the mattress. He broke off contact with her mouth long enough to rear up and divest her of her remaining garments, jerking his own off before pushing her thighs further apart and settling himself between them. Her hands worked their way between their bodies, one wrapping around his engorged penis, the other snaking lower to cradle and mold his balls. His hips jerked forward with each firm stroke of her hand as his lips and teeth feasted on her plump breasts. His hands suddenly encircled her wrists, pulling them above her head, stretching her out beneath him like a sacrificial offering, his forehead dropping to her chest as he took great, panting breaths.

His head slowly lifted, eyes black as ebony with desire looking down into half closed blue ones also clouded with need. He transferred both wrists into one of his, snaking his other hand down her body, combing through auburn curls and encountering folds dripping wet with want of him, her hips bucking against his hand as it barely grazed her clit. His eyes lifted back to her face to find her head thrown back, throat exposed, tiny whimpers escaping her throat, obviously just as turned on as he was.

"Baby, were you this turned on the first time we were in Vegas?" It took every ounce of his available concentration to maintain his Tony voice. Her only response was a whimper and that just drove him to get a real answer. "Come on, Roxy, answer me. Were you this wet for me the first time we were in Vegas?" he slipped one finger inside her and closed his lips around her nipple as he asked the question.

"Yes," she screamed almost arching off the bed. He slipped another finger into her tight channel, her hips pumping frantically against his hand as he felt her orgasm fast approaching.

"Is this what you wanted me to do to you then?" she shook her head. His fingers immediately stopped their movements and she stifled another scream, this one of frustration.

"More. I wanted more." She panted. His fingers resumed thrusting, his thumb finding her swollen clit, brushing firmly once, twice, three times sending orgasm crashing into her so hard that she almost lost consciousness. His fingers didn't slow their movement until her felt her spasms fading, slowing then withdrawing from her warm depths. Holding her eyes, he brought his fingers to his mouth, sucking her taste from them then leaned down to kiss her deeply. Both moaning as their tastes mingled. He was so hard his cock was throbbing rhythmically against her thigh as she pulled back from the kiss enough to see his eyes.

"Is that what you wanted to do to me before?" she questioned, running a hand languidly through his hair. He shook his head, answering the question posed by her raised brow.

"More. I wanted more."

"Show me," she breathed into his mouth, pulling his head down teasing his tongue into her mouth and sucking it as deeply as possible into her mouth. His breath caught at the sensations her sucking on his tongue seemed to be sending straight to his straining hard on.

Using one hand, he guided himself to her entrance, and buried himself to the hilt with one hard thrust. She continued to suck on his tongue while tightening and releasing her internal muscles around his hardness. It was too much. Unable to stop himself, he raised her legs to his shoulders and began a hard, pounding rhythm that had her arching up against him with strangled screams within seconds.

He could feel her tightening around him, her second orgasm closing in fast as the strength of his thrusts increased in direct proportion to her shouted demands for more and harder, every fiber of his being concentrating on the pleasure radiating from his erection and spreading throughout his body. She came hard seconds later, screaming his name, her walls clamping tightly around his engorged flesh, milking an equally spectacular orgasm from him. It felt as if his orgasm lasted an eternity and not nearly long enough at the same time as he emptied himself into her, hips jerking and calling her name. He collapsed on top of her, trying to roll to the side so she could breathe but she held him tightly in place. He raised himself on shaking arms to gaze into glistening blue eyes, looking at her in concern.

"Hey, what's wrong?" _Oh, God, had he hurt her?_ Seeing the question in his eyes, she shook her head.

"We just wasted so much time." He rolled to his back with a sigh, his arm sliding around her shoulders, pulling her tightly to his chest, dropping a kiss to her forehead.

"Maybe it just wasn't time for us to be together then." He told her philosophically, smoothing the hair back from her face. Her blues eyes searched his warm brown ones.

"Do you really think so?" She seemed to want reassurance, so he nodded. She relaxed against him with a sigh, idly tracing patterns on his sweaty chest.

"Booth?"

"Hmm?" she glanced at him from under her lashes.

"Would you like to show me what else Tony wanted to do to Roxy then?" With a smile, he rolled to his side, pulling her body flush with his.

"Yeah, Baby, I'd like that a lot." He assured her against her lips.

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They trudged into the hotel at almost midnight the next night, their dirty clothes drawing more than one glance from the other well coiffed guests milling about at the late hour. They both leaned tiredly against the walls of the elevator, closing their eyes at the blessedly cool air washing over them. They had just spent eighteen hours excavating remains in such a remote part of the desert that it took over an hour to reach it by car, with no sleep to speak of the night before and both were exhausted and very irritated.

Brennan was irritated that she had been called in for this. Yes, there were skeletal remains, several sets in fact, but she judged them to be at least a 130 years old and her guess was they were a family that was buried together when tragedy or disease struck as they were making their way toward California. The file had come across the agent's desk they had worked with on the dead boxer case a few years ago and he had automatically requested she and Booth be called in. She would look at the remains at the ME's office tomorrow for a more accurate assessment but she was already certain this wasn't a crime that she and Booth could solve. She was antsy about being away from the Jeffersonian right now. She had just started to make real progress with the FBI techs, worrying the time away might wind up causing her and Booth their partnership.

She was also having to fight some impulses that were very foreign to her. Everywhere she looked since landing in Vegas, she saw advertisements for the wedding of your dreams, even at the airport. She found herself constantly biting her lip to avoid blurting out the suggestion that they make use of one of the multitude of wedding chapels while they were here. Ever since Sweets and Amanda had shocked their socks off by getting married so quickly, Brennan found herself thinking about being married to Booth, wanting it more each day. She was puzzled by the obvious changes in her belief system, but if Booth had taught her one thing, it was that logic has no control over the emotions, rational or not. For a few days after Sweets and Amanda's visit to their apartment, she had worried that Booth didn't want to marry her, but his constant affection had soon dispelled that fear. She had been working up the courage to just tell him that she wanted to marry him but, even she knew that would spoil his idea of the romance and she had no idea how to subtly indicate her wishes to him so she was stuck. Or, so she had thought until their arrival in Vegas.

Booth wasn't irritated they were here. No, he thought it was a stroke of fate. His plans to ask Brennan to marry him were worked out to the smallest detail for back home, but as soon as they landed at the airport, his brain had asked him, Why wait? Even if she didn't want to actually get married in Vegas, there was nothing to stop him from asking her. The ring was tucked into a drawer, him having removed it from their suitcase before she could find it. He'd had the ring for months now, hiding it in different locations in the apartment so she didn't find it, it was about time for him to man up and use it, he had decided the night before. So, no, he wasn't irritated they were here.

He was irritated the arrangements for a special dinner, complete with all the little extra touches that he'd made with the manager last night had to be postponed. He'd only been able to let the manager know on their way back, due to lack of cell coverage in the desert. The manager had promised that he would handle everything, Booth could only hope that was true, he just wanted to take a bath and fall into bed. They finally reached their floor and exited the elevator, making their way to their suite. Booth inserted his key, reaching for the door handle just as it was opened from inside, his hand going to his gun as his other arm pushed Brennan behind him. They both blinked blankly at the man and woman standing before them in butler and maid uniforms. _Damn_, thought Booth_, this was supposed to be postponed till tomorrow night._ _Crap_, thought Brennan, _I forgot to call the manager and postpone this. _

"Sir, Madame, we've been expecting you," the butler informed them in a surprisingly deep voice. Booth and Brennan looked at each other a little guiltily and stepped into the suite as the butler indicated. The maid immediately stepped forward, indicating to Brennan that she should follow her with a sweeping gesture of her arm.

"I have a bath drawn for you, maam. If you'll just come with me." Brennan threw a helpless look toward Booth, who shrugged at her, grinning. She followed the woman, but pointed out that she was perfectly capable of "drawing her own bath". The maid never even cracked a smile, she regularly dealt with much more difficult people than Brennan could be on her worst day. The maid led her into the bedroom she and Booth had shared the previous night and Brennan saw that a beautiful red evening gown with matching shoes and lingerie had been laid out on the bed. They certainly didn't belong to her. She stopped in her tracks.

"What is all this?" she demanded, gesturing toward the bed. The woman, Felicia, Brennan noted by the nametag affixed to her uniform, turned toward her with a warm smile.

"Compliments of the management, maam." _What?_ Brennan might not know clothes like Angela, but she recognized quality when she saw it. Unless she missed her guess, there were several thousand dollars worth of merchandise spread out on that bed. Brennan rubbed her forehead in confusion and tiredness.

"Look, Felicia, I forgot to call the manager to postpone tonight, but I never asked for anything like this." Again, she pointed to the bed. Felicia looked at the woman standing before her, making a quick and unusual decision, to tell her the truth. She was very, very good at reading people. It was, after all, how she made a very good living and she saw that only the truth would do for this tired, dusty woman, which was so unusual in her line of work that it was refreshing.

"Dr. Brennan, sometimes the manager takes a special interest in certain clients, for no specific reason," she hastened to assure her as she saw the suspicious look flit over Brennan's face. "He asked me to check your wardrobe for anything appropriate for tonight and sent this up when I told him you didn't have anything with you." She could see that Brennan didn't like her having looked through her clothing, but that was her job. "I'm sorry if you feel like your privacy was violated, and Joseph and I can, of course, leave and do this some other night. But, my understanding is you're only here for a couple of days, what if there isn't another night?" Brennan's eyes widened at the question. Felicia was right, she never knew when she and Booth would be getting called out, their plans having to be put aside and if she found what she expected to at the ME's office tomorrow, there would really be no reason to extend their trip. She felt a sense of excitement overtake the exhaustion, bringing a brilliant smile to her dusty face. Tonight, she was going to propose to Seeley Booth.

Booth turned to look at the butler, Joseph, he noted with a quick glance at his nametag as Brennan followed Felicia into the bedroom. Booth glanced around, seeing that a small round table had been set up in front of the huge windows in the living room. He walked over, noting the expensive linen, fine china and crystal, smiling at the floral arrangement of daffodils and daisies that looked almost out of place on such an elegantly set table. He turned back to Joseph with a smile, rubbing his hands together, feeling his tiredness melt away. Joseph returned his smile.

"Your bath has also been prepared, Sir." Booth was a little startled by this, he hadn't had anyone prepare him a bath with the purpose of actually bathing since he was a child. He shrugged, following Joseph into the second bedroom, steps faltering when he saw the tux laid out neatly on the bed. He turned to look at the butler with a raised brow. Joseph didn't turn a hair. "Compliments of the management, Sir." _Wow_, thought Booth, _that manager really got into the spirit of things._ He dismissed Joseph and entered the bathroom with a sense of anticipation overtaking him. Tonight he was going to ask Temperence Brennan to be his wife.

An hour later, Brennan looked at her reflection in the mirror, almost not recognizing herself. After Brennan's bath, Felicia had politely knocked on the bedroom door, offering to do her hair and makeup. Brennan had almost declined, her assertive nature telling her she could do those things for herself and didn't need any help, then she had looked into the maids excited eyes and didn't have the heart to refuse. Felicia didn't often find herself providing services for people who were genuinely pleased or excited by much of anything. Most of the people she saw were blasé and bored with life in general. She found herself wanting to make this night as special as possible for these two obviously in love people.

"Do you like it?" she asked softly, stepping back and laying extra hair pins on the lighted, marble vanity. _Like it?_ Brennan wasn't sure. She was sure she'd never looked better in her life. Felicia had used a light hand with the makeup, just giving Brennan's creamy skin a hint of healthy color, except for the eyes. She had used eye shadow in shades of blue, expertly applying and smudging them, then used a smoky grey pencil underneath with just a light coating of mascara. The unusual color of Brennan's eyes were greatly enhanced by the cosmetics, they appeared sexy, sultry and innocent all at the same time. Her hair had been drawn atop her head, with wisps strategically escaping to frame her face. The red, sequined gown fit her body like a glove, completely covering and exposing all at once. _Booth wasn't going to know what hit him,_ she told herself with a grin. Remembering Felicia's question, she turned to the woman with gratitude in her eyes.

"I like it very much. Thank you, Felicia." Felicia returned Brennan's smile warmly, fervently glad she had drawn duty on this particular night. It was good to be reminded that there were still people out there like this. They weren't all like the spoiled, whiny, demanding babies she usually catered to. Brennan slipped on the heels, standing and straightening her dress, taking a deep breath and walked toward the door Felicia was waiting to slide open.

Joseph hid a smile of amusement behind his hand as Booth paced in front of him again, as he had been doing for the last fifteen minutes while fingering something in his pants pocket and casting anxious glances at the closed bedroom door across the room. He straightened, wiping the smile off of his face as the door slid open and Felicia emerged, followed by Brennan.

Booth swung around, freezing as his eyes locked on the love of his life, his nervousness suddenly gone. She looked incredibly beautiful, but, then again, she always did. He had to admit the sultry eyes and figure hugging dress gave him a punch in the gut as he walked toward her, leaning down and dropping a lingering kiss on her raised lips. "You look beautiful, Baby."

Brennan's eyes slowly appraised the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. His tall, muscular form filled out the tuxedo to perfection, showcasing his wide shoulders and powerful chest as if it had been designed specifically to do so, tapering to a slim waist. Even though she couldn't actually see the rear view, she knew from experience that it was just as stimulating as the front. She flashed him a flirtatious smile and sultry glance from under her lashes, seeing the look of surprise that crossed his handsome face at the flirty behavior. He was used to sexy from her, but not flirty. _That wasn't the only surprise in store for him tonight, _she thought, hiding a grin.

Booth nodded to Joseph, who had lighted the tapered candles on the table and dimmed the lights as soon as the bedroom door had opened, taking Brennan's hand, escorting her to the table and seating her without a single protest on her part. Felicia had already disappeared into the kitchen, but Joseph lingered by the table to pop the cork on the bottle of champagne resting in an ice bucket on a side table and efficiently pour them both glasses of the sparkling liquid before disappearing into the kitchen himself. Booth captured Brennan's gaze with his and raised his glass in a toast. "To us," he said meaningfully. She raised her glass.

"To us," she echoed, just as meaningfully. Felicia and Joseph approached the table with their entrees before they could say anything else. Because of the hour, Booth had opted for entrée and dessert when presented with the choice because Brennan never slept well if she ate too much right before bed. The entrée lids were lifted with a flourish and Booth and Brennan's eyebrows lifted as they looked at their servers with puzzlement, both thinking, _This isn't what I ordered_. Felicia and Joseph answered at the same time.

"The manager." Booth and Brennan shrugged, turning back to their meals, realizing they were starving. They had eaten on the plane last night, grabbed something from a drive thru this morning and had water and junk food on the way back tonight, completely skipping lunch and dinner.

Booth dug into the biggest ribeye steak he had ever seen, finding it tender enough to cut with his knife and cooked to perfection, as were the seasoned, sautéed fingerling potatoes. Brennan attacked her Penne Rustica with equal relish, her eyes closing in delight as the flavors of the pasta, cream sauce, chicken, sun dried tomatoes and pine nuts combined on her tongue. She opened her eyes to find Booth staring at her, a piece of steak suspended on the way to his mouth.

"What?" she asked taking a drink of champagne. "I'm hungry and this is very good." He smiled softly, motioning her to return to her meal.

"Nothing, I'm just glad you like it." It was exactly what he had requested for her, as well as himself, but he wasn't too torn up over his pasta being accidentally replaced by the best steak he'd ever eaten. Brennan was having pretty much the same thought. She was glad Booth liked the steak she had requested for him, but she wasn't at all disappointed the salad she'd ordered for herself had been replaced by this delicious pasta. They talked about their day and what they expected to happen tomorrow, Booth refilling both champagne glasses more than once, both too hungry to linger over the meal.

Felicia appeared like magic just as they finished, removing their empty plates, followed by Joseph who placed their desserts in front of them, removing the covers like a magician uncovering the rabbit. _Now this was just weird_, thought Booth, _looking down at the apple pie and vanilla ice cream on his plate_. He hadn't ordered this, but he happily dug in. It was, after all, his favorite. Brennan was more than pleased with the huge chocolate covered strawberries she had ordered, as was Booth, it was exactly what he'd ordered for her. Before Joseph and Felicia could disappear again, Booth thanked them for their fantastic service and dismissed them, already having given Joseph a generous tip at the beginning of the evening. Brennan added her thanks, making a mental note to drop off a generous tip for the two at the front desk before they checked out.

The two left the couple alone in the suite, heading toward the manager's office, knowing he would be waiting to hear how it had gone. He had been a little upset when Agent Booth called to postpone the night, not because it was inconvenient, but because he had decided to play fairy Godfather to this deserving couple. He knew who Dr Brennan and Agent Seeley Booth were, that Dr. Brennan could afford anything that she wanted and the two had already laid the groundwork, he just wanted to add the little details that would make this perfect for both of them, give them a memory to cherish for the rest of their lives. He felt like he owed them something and this he could do.

Booth and Brennan finished dessert without much conversation, shooting the other glances from under their lashes, finally pushing their plates aside and looking at each other again. Booth slid his hand into his pocket and surreptitiously pulled out the ring box, taking a deep breath. Brennan took a deep breath, licking suddenly dry lips. Their voices burst forth at the same time.

"Temperence Brennan."

"Seeley Booth." They burst into laughter that settled into soft smiles, each gesturing for the other to go ahead. Again, their voices sounded simultaneously.

"Will you marry me?" Two sets of eyes widened, certain they must have misheard. "What?" Apparently their brains and mouths were synched because they couldn't seem to express individual thought at the moment. Did he just propose to me? wondered Brennan. Did she just propose to me? questioned Booth. Unsure of the proper protocol for the current situation, Booth stood, walking around the table and knelt on one knee beside Brennan's chair, taking her hand in his, looking directly into beautiful blue eyes glistening with tears and flipped open the ring box.

"I love you, Brennan. I want to wake up with you in my arms every day for the rest of my life. I want you to have my children and stand by my side because I know with your love, I can face anything." He reached up, gently swiping twin tears off her cheeks and pulled her head down to rest against his, forehead to forehead. "I want us to grow old together and be embarrassments to our offspring." She giggled. "Temperence Brennan, will you marry me?" She nodded enthusiastically, throwing herself from the chair into his arms, knowing he would catch her, he always had and always would, he would never let her fall.


	49. Chapter 49

**Sorry about the delay in posting. I've had the flu, but I'm back now. Hope you enjoy the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

Booth and Brennan hurriedly made their way across the lobby of the Venetian, heading for the ME's office and running a little late. After Booth's proposal the night before, they had gone to bed intending to talk things over, but were both so exhausted that they were asleep almost as soon as their heads touched the pillows and both had overslept this morning, resulting in two crabby people that anyone in their right mind would avoid. Mr. Holden, hotel manager and fairy godfather extraordinaire was, apparently, not in his right mind and approached the two just as they passed the check in desk.

"Dr Brennan, Agent Booth, if I might have a word?" he greeted them cordially, extending his hand to Booth, his eyes discretely noting the diamond ring on Brennan's left hand telling him part of what he was going to ask, but he had something to discuss with them. Biting back his impatience, Booth shook the man's hand. After all, he really had this man to thank for them being engaged this morning. They could spare him a few minutes. Brennan fully agreed and patiently waited for Mr. Holden to get to the point. Pointing at her engagement ring and smiling, he quickly did just that.

"I don't have to ask how things went last night. Congratulations." Booth and Brennan returned his smile, their expressions morphing into astonishment at his next words. "I would like to offer you the opportunity of using our beautiful facilities for your wedding. All completely gratis, of course. We have a wonderful staff and the arrangements can be made at your convenience." Neither really knew how to answer him. They hadn't even talked about a date for the wedding, but both wanted to accept the offer. Booth rubbed his earlobe between his thumb and forefinger.

"Mr. Holden, you have already been more than accommodating to us, but we really haven't talked about when the wedding will be yet and we really have to get going." Placing his hand on the small of Brennan's back, he urged her a couple of steps only to find the hotel manager falling into step beside them.

"That's fine, Agent Booth, but if you decide to take me up on the offer, the wedding can be arranged within a couple of hours, so keep that in mind." Before he could make further comment, Brennan rounded on him, regarding him suspiciously.

"Why are you doing all this?" Mr. Holden regarded her blankly and Booth tried to usher her out of the lobby, taking her arm. She shook free of his hold, her eyes never leaving Holden's face.

"Bones, we're going to be late," Booth knew this usually worked like a charm to get her moving, but not this morning. "Baby, he's just being a nice guy. Give the man a break." His hand rubbed her back soothingly and Holden smiled at the intimate gesture.

"And I appreciate it, Booth. But why is he doing this? I'm not that famous and we're certainly not spending any money in the casino, so what's in it for him?" Booth's eyes turned to Holden, narrowing in suspicion, only to find the man grinning at them in amusement.

"I'm doing this, Dr. Brennan, because you and Agent Booth deserve it," Holden answered before the question could be repeated. "And I feel that it the least I can do for the two of you." Booth and Brennan exchanged confused looks, turning them on Holden.

"You don't remember me, do you?" They both shook their heads. Sighing, he motioned them over to a less high traffic area. "Almost four years ago, the two of you gave me back my sister. Her name was.." He was cut off by Brennan.

"Stacey Ann Holden," she murmured, paling a little as she recalled the details of the case. It was one of the most horrific ones she and Booth had ever worked and she would never forget.

Stacey had been a seventeen year old high school senior, a good girl with her entire future before her when she had mysteriously disappeared one day. Despite intensive media attention, the police had never had even one lead on the case and it had been languishing in the cold case files until her body had been discovered by a construction crew breaking ground for a new hotel twelve years after her disappearance. Brennan and her team had only returned to the Jeffersonian after recovering the remains when they received a call that more remains had been uncovered at the same site. In all, four bodies had been identified, all girls in their late teens, who had been through hell before they were finally killed.

It had taken months for them to sift through all the evidence, follow all the leads and finally track down a suspect. Brennan was shocked to learn that he was married with teenage children and no one would ever have thought him capable of something like kidnapping and murder. Booth and Brennan were both horrified to discover the perpetrator volunteered at several local schools with the sole purpose of choosing his next victim. They were sickened to learn that he had set up a second residence where he kept his victims, taping every moment of their captivity. He held them for months, repeatedly raping and torturing them until he tired of that one and disposed of them for a "newer model" as he so callously called them. The suspect had freely confessed to all four abductions and murders when confronted, so there had never been any need to share the details with the families and Brennan, despite her penchant for telling the truth, had been fiercely glad of that. It was bad enough that families had been robbed of their children and children of their lives, no one needed to have those pictures of a loved one in their heads.

"Yes," answered Mr. Holden with a soft, reminencent smile. "She was my pain in the butt little sister and then one day she was just gone with no explanation and my whole world changed in an instant. My mother cried all the time and my father just withdrew from the world. They both refused to believe she wasn't coming home and that was the hardest part, the not knowing. I used to pray that someone would just find her body so my parents could have some peace." Shame crept into his voice and he glanced away from Booth and Brennan with the last words. His eyes flew to his forearms as he felt a hand come to rest on each with a gentle squeeze of encouragement. "The two of you not only gave us back my sister's body for a proper burial, you caught the monster who took her away. There is no way to say thank you for that, for myself, my family and everyone else whose lives you touch, but please let me try." Brennan quickly wiped a tear off her cheek and Booth cleared his throat.

"Mr. Holden, it's against company policy to accept any form of payment for our services, so as generous as your offer is, we simply can't accept it." Booth and Brennan were more than a little touched by this man's words, they didn't often get accolades from victims' families for their work and it was heartwarming to know they did make a difference in the lives of the living as well as the dead.

"Oh, come now, Agent Booth. I'm sure the FBI can't object to the hotel comping a bestselling author, I'd be willing to bet it's not the first time that's happened." Booth and Brennan exchanged glances. He was right, they had even discussed it with Cullen and the consensus was that as long as it had nothing to do with an ongoing case, there was no problem. Before Booth could answer, Holden continued, "My mother remembers you both in her prayers every day, she would never forgive me if I didn't at least try to thank you properly."

_Low blow_, thought Booth, remembering the sad, broken woman who was this man's mother. He got a Christmas card from her every year, as did Brennan. His eyes held a silent conversation with Brennan. Turning back to Holden, he held out his hand.

"Mr. Holden, consider us thanked," he held up a hand to forestall the objections he could see coming, "but, we will consider your offer. Now, we really have to go." Holden shook the proffered hand and turned away whistling as the two hurried out the front doors, sure they would accept. He already had the whole thing arranged, even the wedding attire, he just needed a time and for them to choose the location.

In the SUV on the way to the coroner's office, Booth and Brennan were lost in their own thoughts. Brennan desperately wanted to take Mr. Holden up on his offer and marry Booth immediately, but felt she had taken away a little of his thunder the night before by proposing to him. She was thrilled with his own proposal, but thought he would probably want to be married in a church and she didn't want to push him if he wasn't ready to marry her at this very second.

Booth also desperately wanted to accept Mr. Holden's offer. He had always thought he would want a church wedding, but found the where didn't matter nearly as much as the who. He wanted to bind Brennan to him legally before she had the chance to change her mind. In his heart, he knew that wasn't going to happen, but he had a tiny nagging fear that just wouldn't leave him alone. Looking over, he saw her lost in thought, chewing on her bottom lip, like she always did when she was trying to figure out a solution to a problem. Grinning, he decided he might as well let her know how he felt about them getting married now, right after he scoped out how she felt, of course.

"Bones?"

"Hmmm?" She answered him absently, still chewing on her lower lip. He reached out and laid a hand on her thigh. She looked over at him and released her lip.

"What did you think about Mr. Holden's offer?"

"It was very generous," she offered hesitantly. Booth frowned when she didn't say anything else, it was unlike his very opinionated Bones to not just offer up her opinion on something this big. _Surely she hadn't changed her mind about getting married already, _he thought in panic, pulling into the parking garage at the medical examiner's office. Leaving the vehicle running for the air conditioning, he turned to her, putting a hand under her chin and raising her face to look at him.

"You haven't changed your mind, have you?" his voice pulled her from her thoughts.

"About what?" she asked blankly. He stared at her incredulously, unsure if they were having the same conversation.

"About us getting married."

"What? No, of course not. Why? Have you changed your mind?" Her voice held more than a hint of panic and the utter ridiculousness of how they were acting struck Booth. He had thought they were past all the doubts and tiptoeing around issues, but apparently not. _Hell, yes, they were_, he told himself firmly, _they just needed to talk about this out in the open_. And, as much as he was afraid she might not feel the same way, he needed to tell her how he felt about Holden's offer. Both hands moving to gently cup her face, he smiled directly into her eyes and her panic immediately receded.

"Bren, I love you and if you're not ready to marry me right now, I'll understand, but if you are, I would very much like to take Holden up on his offer." He could feel her whole body relax and her eyes began to shine with excitement.

"Really?" she whispered, placing her hands over his. He nodded, his smile widening as she just sat there smiling at him.

"This is the part where you tell me what you think about my proposition," he gently prodded.

"Oh, ok, though technically that was a proposal not a proposition. A proposition involves..," his laughing lips cut off her words. Pulling back several minutes later, breathless, he leaned his forehead against hers.

"So, what do you think?" Equally breathless, she took a moment to answer.

"I thought you would want to get married in a church, Booth." It was a fair assessment, considering the strength of his faith, but his love for her was stronger.

"I always thought so, too. But the truth is, I don't really care where we get married, I just want you to be my wife. In here," he took one of her hands and laid it on his chest, directly over his heart, "you already are my wife. This is only a legality." Tears shimmered in her eyes but she didn't want him to have any regrets.

"What about Parker?" Booth had expected this, but he had already searched his heart and could honestly say that he was ok with his son not being here.

"Baby, I would love to have Parker here, but he is an eight year old boy. Do you really think he is going to care about missing the wedding? Besides, he already considers us married, too. What has he been calling you for the last few months?" Brennan had to smile at the memories the question evoked. The first time Parker had kissed her and called her Mommy B as they were dropping him off at Rebecca's, she had cried in Booth's arms afterward. In the past few months, he called her that more than Bones, but she still got a little thrill hearing it every single time.

"Angela is going to be pissed if we get married without telling her." Booth had actually thought about that one, too. He gave Brennan a Duh look.

"Baby, as long as she tried to get us together, do you think she is going to care if she isn't at the wedding?" Biting her lip again, Brennan nodded solemnly. Booth sighed in defeat.

"Yeah, me, too. But it was worth a shot." He turned his patented Booth charm smile on her, the one that always made her weak in the knees. "The only thing that really matters is, do you want to get married now?"

"Yes." Booth was relieved and moved by the utter conviction behind the one word. Tilting her head to the side and grinning at him, she finally gave him her answer. "Besides, we really can't be responsible for getting Mr. Holden in trouble with his mother. So, I guess we have no choice but to accept his offer."

"Wow, Bones, a joke. I'm impressed." A feeling of incredible peace and contentment washed over him, one he saw reflected on her face and he knew this was the right decision for them. They would find some way to soothe Angela's ruffled feathers, but he wasn't waiting one more day to make the love of his life his wife.

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Ten hours later, Booth paced nervously across the living room of their suite, checking his watch every few minutes. Joseph stood off to the side watching in amusement, finally offering some advice.

"Agent Booth, it isn't going to help for you to wear yourself out pacing. Mr. Holden will call up when she's ready."

"How long can it possibly take?" Booth demanded. Joseph shrugged and they shared a male look that said with a woman you never could tell how long it would take her to get ready for anything, much less her own wedding. With a sigh, Booth sank onto the couch, switching on the TV and finding a football game, motioning Joseph to take a seat. _He didn't have anything better to do until he was summonsed for his own wedding,_ he thought darkly.

After only half an hour at the ME's office this morning, Brennan had been able to determine that her initial assessment of the remains had been correct and she would only need a few hours to finish her examination. At her urging, Booth had made the call to Mr. Holden, who had been delighted, only asking them about location. They were able to view those on Brennan's laptop and give him an approximate time of arrival back at the hotel, as well as their choice of location, both expecting to arrive back at the hotel, shower, change and get married. No muss. No fuss. There had definitely been fuss.

They had walked back into the hotel lobby almost 20 minutes later than expected to find Mr. Holden practically wringing his hands, Joseph and Felicia at his side, sans uniforms. Holden had turned into a drill sergeant before their eyes, tossing orders at Joseph and Felicia. Brennan had been hustled away despite her objections and Booth hadn't seen her in almost four hours. He was starting to get extremely nervous despite Joseph's reassurances that everything was fine.

Booth had been whisked off to the tailor and been fitted for his wedding tux. He had balked when the arrogant little man had looked him up and down and told him to strip. Joseph had stepped in telling the man to behave himself and told Booth to take off his jacket only. Booth had smirked until the guy patted him on the butt when he finished the measurements. Booth looked at Joseph in disbelief, seeking confirmation of what had just happened. The amusement on the other man's face told him that yes, he had just been groped by the tailor. Luckily for the tailor, he had already hurried out of the room. Booth was then sent to his room like a misbehaving child to wait until he was needed for the ceremony.

Brennan had been whisked to the spa by Felicia after being told she was scheduled to receive the "full treatment". If she'd had any idea of what that entailed, Brennan might have made a run for it. Every inch of her body had been pummeled, massaged, exfoliated or treated in some manner. For someone who didn't like other people touching her, it was akin to torture. At first, anyway. Then she had seen how detached the army of people working on her was and had been able to relax and enjoy parts of it, at least. The parts she hadn't enjoyed, she had tolerated for Booth's later enjoyment. If this was what she had to go through when she didn't plan the wedding, she shuddered to think how awful it would be to actually have to plan out the whole thing. Plus, Angela had recently begun making her watch something called Bridezilla and she had no wish to lose her sanity like those women obviously had.

She now sat in an antechamber at the spa dressed in the wedding underwear that Felicia had insisted was as important as the dress. The underwear was white, of course, and hardly substantial, Brennan had complained. Felicia had just given her a look reminiscent of Angela and handed her the underwear. Brennan had been the recipient of a lot of those looks over the last few hours, so, with a sigh, she took the underwear and put it on. Felicia had already done her hair, piled loosely atop her head with jeweled combs sparkling every time she moved her head. Her makeup was basically a repeat of that last night, emphasizing her unusual eyes.

Those eyes widened as Felicia unzipped a garment bag and pulled out her wedding dress finding herself a little disappointed. It was a very plain dress. It was white, which she had expected considering the underwear, but she hadn't expected it to be made of raw silk which felt quite decadent against her skin, as she slipped it over her head. It had a square neckline with the bodice crisscrossing across her breasts and cap sleeves. The waist was fitted and flowed into a skirt just full enough to swirl when she moved, ending just below her knees. White heels completed the outfit. Felicia stepped back, smiling broadly at her handiwork.

"Take a look," she urged. Brennan turned toward the full length mirror, not really expecting much and was stunned speechless by her own reflection. _Wow, could that really be her?_ The dress that had looked so plain on the hanger conformed to her body, emphasizing every curve, the silk reflecting the light and making her skin look even creamier with her hair standing out in stark contrast to all the white. She looked, well, hot was the word she was certain Booth would use, glad that her appearance was pleasing on this special day and she knew who she had to thank for that. Turning to Felicia, she hugged her tightly.

"Thank you, Felicia." Impulsively, she uttered the next words, "Would you like to come to the ceremony." Felicia laughed and pulled out another garment bag.

"I was hoping you'd ask." She very quickly changed, after calling Mr. Holden to let him know they were ready. Booth jumped as the phone rang. Finally, he thought. Joseph spoke with Mr. Holden and told Booth it was time to go. Booth started out of the room to find himself alone. Turning around, he told Joseph to get a move on so they wouldn't be late. With a grin, Joseph left the penthouse and led Booth toward the bridge spanning the canals, explaining that getting married on the bridge was rumored to bring longevity and prosperity to the marriage. Booth smiled at the thought of Brennan's reaction to this explanation, but he has faith in a lot of things as was glad they had chosen this location to become man and wife. Less than ten minutes later, there was a soft knock on the door. Felicia opened it to admit Mr. Holden who was very nicely dressed in a tuxedo himself. He stopped midstep when he caught sight of Brennan, breaking into a huge smile of satisfaction that the dress was the right choice.

"Dr. Brennan, you look even more lovely than usual. Since you don't have any family with you, I was hoping you would allow me the honor of escorting you to Agent Booth." He stood before her, elbow extended and she couldn't give him a lecture on it being unnecessary for her to be escorted anywhere. This man had made all of this possible and she was grateful. Smiling, she placed her hand in the crook of his elbow.

"I would be honored, Mr. Holden." Extending his other arm to Felicia, he escorted the two women out the door.

Booth stood in the middle of the architectural wonder that was the bridge over the canals of Venice. It was beautiful, the bridge itself as well as the surroundings, but nothing could compare to the beauty of the woman walking toward him on the arm of Mr. Holden. She was so beautiful she took his breath away, seeming to glow from within in the gathering twilight, her face so calm that he knew she didn't have a single doubt about this or them. Brennan was having trouble catching her breath when she caught sight of Booth, and it wasn't just that he looked stunningly handsome and sexy in his fitted tuxedo. It was the look on his face, in his eyes, love, happiness, possession, everything he felt for her was reflected in that look and she was humbled that someone who was such a heart person could love her so much. Still a few steps away, she met his eyes, allowing everything she felt for him to shine through. They should go into this marriage as equals, without any questions. She knew he understood her silent message by the tender look that spread across his face as Mr. Holden placed his hand in hers and turned to leave.

"Wait. Where are you going?" Brennan demanded. Mr. Holden gestured back to the hotel and Brennan looked at Booth pleadingly.

"Mr. Holden, we would be honored if you would stay." Booth invited and Mr. Holden turned back with a smile. Booth and Brennan turned to the minister, hand in hand. He gave the happy couple a genuine smile, something that was rare when you did this as much as he did and began the ceremony. He had already spoken with the bride and groom and knew they wanted to use their own vows, so he paused at that part indicating that Booth should go first. Taking both of Brennan's hands into his, Booth gazed tenderly into her eyes.

"Temperence Brennan, when I first met you, you made me angry and frustrated, but even then, you challenged me to be a better person. Then we became friends and you touched every part of my life and I wanted to be a better person because of you. Then I fell in love with you and you touched every part of my soul and I needed to be a better person for you. And in that time you became so much more than my partner, my friend, even my lover. You became my everything, the reason I get up in the morning, the love of my life. I love you, Brennan. I promise to love, honor, cherish and protect you for the rest of my life. I will never leave you and I will never betray you. I promise to find you if you are ever lost and to love you with the last breath in my body." His thumbs gently wiped the tears from her cheeks. She swallowed hard and cleared her throat a couple of times before she could get her vows out.

"Seeley Booth, when I first met you, I mostly wanted you to just go away. I thought you were rude, arrogant, pushy and condescending." She shot their three guests a mild glare at their giggles and turned her attention back to Booth, noticing his amusement. "Then I watched your interactions with people and saw how much you care about everyone, how passionate you are about everything and I wanted that. I wanted my life to be different, to not be alone and lonely anymore. I wanted me to be different, but I was still too afraid of being hurt to really let anyone in. But you were always there, Booth, no matter what, I knew you would never let me down and I began to trust again. And before I even knew what was happening, you sneaked through my defenses and made me love you and I am grateful for that. You, Seeley Booth, and Parker are the most important things in my life and you always will be. I will proudly stand by your side forever, as your partner, best friend and wife, the mother of your children, the woman who would die for you. I will watch your back and I will never run away from you or us. I'll try to never get lost, but if I do, I trust you to find me. I love you, Booth, now and forever."

Brennan looked into brown eyes glistening with tears and took a mental snapshot, this was a moment she wanted to remember for the rest of her life. Nothing had ever felt so right to her as the words she had just spoken with such love and conviction.

Booth looked into blue eyes glistening with tears and knew this was one of the happiest moments of his life and always would be, joining with this woman was what he had been meant to do with his life, he knew with absolute certainty. When they had first met, they had both been broken and wary with nothing in common. Despite all that, they had managed to build a bond that had held through some very bad things. In short, they had healed each other. Oh, the scars from the past would never completely fade, but they were just that now. Scars, not the open, raw, oozing wounds they had been when the two had met and nothing would ever come between them again because they wouldn't let it. Gazing deeply into each other's eyes, they barely heard the minister finish the ceremony, slipping gold wedding bands onto each other's fingers at Mr. Holden's prompting.

Booth didn't have to be told twice that he could kiss the bride. Cupping Brennan's face tenderly between his hands, he leaned down and met her lips with a kiss filled with love, tenderness and desire. She returned the sentiments so enthusiastically that it took a few people loudly clearing their throats to break them apart. But they were smiling broadly as they came up for air. Mr. Holden informed them that a romantic dinner awaited them in their suite and they said goodnight to their guests. Taking Brennan's hand, Booth eagerly led her to the elevator. He couldn't wait to make love to his wife for the first time.


	50. Chapter 50

**Hello, people. I apologize for the delay in posting. This is the last chapter, but there is a sequel that will continue the adventures of our happy couple. The first chapter should be ready to post by tomorrow. Thanks to everyone who stuck in there.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

Epilogue

Booth quietly closed the door of their hotel suite behind him and turned toward Brennan. For several long moments, he simply stood staring at her, taking in her grace and beauty, almost unable to believe his dreams had been fulfilled to the point that she was now his wife_. His wife_. _God, he would never get tired of that word when it was associated with her. _The love he felt for this woman knew no bounds, it was endless, timeless. Just thinking about her made him smile and he knew he would spend the rest of his life trying to make her happy.

Brennan stood still, simply basking in the love and warmth of Booth's gaze. Her heart actually ached with happiness. She had never felt that before and knew she had the one person she loved and trusted above all others to thank for that. Oh, she knew Booth would insist that it was God's plan that had brought them together, but she knew God had nothing to do with Booth battering down her defenses and giving her a chance to find real, true happiness. _She was married_, she thought in amazement _to the most wonderful, most handsome man in the whole world. _And, yes, she knew there was no way she could prove scientifically that Booth was the most handsome, most wonderful man in the world, but her heart told her it was so and she knew she could trust her heart with her new husband. She had decided years ago that she would never have a family of her own, but now she had not just one, but two families who would never betray her. She was pulled from counting her blessings as Booth pushed away from the door and walked over to her. Gently cupping his face in his hands, he rested his forehead against hers.

"Are you hungry?" She shivered at the husky timber of his voice and shook her head lightly.

"Are you?"

"Not for food," he assured her, leaning down to nibble on her parted lips. Her arms crept up around his neck and she pressed closer.

"What did you have in mind," she teased, slipping her tongue past his lips and quickly drawing it back. His hands tightened on her waist, pulling her even closer.

"I had the oddest idea," he stopped with a groan as she gently nibbled his lower lip, "that I might take you to bed and make love to my wife." He didn't need a verbal answer from her, he clearly read the affirmative response in the way she jerked his head down to meet her lips more fully, moaning at the contact and pressing herself against him as if she was trying to climb inside his skin.

Booth lost himself in the pleasure of kissing his wife, just knowing she now wore a symbol identifying her as his enough to arouse him to new heights. Not that he would ever tell her that because she would kill him and he had way too many things to look forward to now to shoot himself in the foot as it were. To his surprise and displeasure, Brennan suddenly pulled her head back, his lips following her retreat to reclaim her lips.

"Do you think it will be different now?" His head halted at the question, lifting to look into her eyes unsure what she was asking.

"Do I think what will be different now?" she grinned at his bemused expression, fiercely proud of the way she affected him.

"The sex, Booth." With a sigh, he smoothed a stray curl away from the cheek.

"We've never had sex, Baby. With us, it has always been making love and I don't know if it will be different or not but I'm willing to make the sacrifice and find out." she laughed at his voice of martyrdom, teasingly trying to pull out of his arms.

"Well, Booth, I wouldn't want you to do something you don't want to do." With a growl, he jerked her back against him, showing her just how much he didn't want to. With a wicked laugh, she relaxed against him, never losing contact with his eyes. "I love you, Seeley Booth." Booth knew he would never tire of hearing those words from this woman or of saying them back.

"I love you, Temperence Brennan Booth." Laughing at her look of shock, he realized she hadn't even thought about her name being different. There was bound to be some protest and probably some conflict over that, but not right now. Right now, they had much, much better things to do. Swinging her up in his arms, Booth took her lips in a passionate kiss, heading toward the bedroom to start their lives as husband and wife.

They both knew that them being together would never be easy, but when had things ever come easily for the two of them? They would have problems and they would work them out because they couldn't not be together, not after everything they had been through together, not after all they meant to each other.

Sinking onto the bed, hearts guiding lips, hands and bodies, they found out it was different. Their sex life had always been fantastic, but this was beyond the physical, something almost spiritual. It was as if their souls meshed, joined together for eternity, and neither would ever be a whole person without the other again, but that was ok with both of them. They never planned to be apart. Tangled together, softly touching and stoking each other, they talked about things with an ease they had never felt before, even with each other, all walls and barriers between the two obliterated forever, both still awestruck with the way a simple ceremony had deepened their relationship. Both knowing that no matter what life threw at them now, it would never come between them, never separate them. They would handle whatever came their way the same way they did now. Together.

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I know some of you are probably disappointed that there is no gratuitous sex, but it just didn't feel right to get graphic here. Thanks again for sticking with me and hope to hear from you on the sequel.


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